Tehran has protested to Washington because of the travel ban on its football team delegation as well as Iranian fans who would like to travel to the United States for the upcoming World Cup matches in 2026.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced it has protested against the move by the U.S. administration to deny visas to football federation officials and support members of Iran’s team plus the Iranians interested in watching their national team’s matches next year in the United States.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference on Sunday that Iran had expressed its protest to the U.S. banning members of the Iranian delegates to participate in the FIFA final draw event.
“We have expressed our protest against the U.S.'s refusal to issue visas to members of the Iranian delegation to participate in the draw ceremony, and we expect that this matter, which is completely legal and logical, will be respected by FIFA, as the organizing body and guardian of the international community.”
The Iranian Football Federation had vowed it would boycott the World Cup draw because visas had not been issued by the U.S. government to all members of its delegation, including the federation’s president.
However, it reversed the plans to boycott the event on Friday and sent a delegation to the United States.
In FIFA World Cup 2026, Iran squad will face Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand after being drawn into Group G at the next year’s tournament.
Since June, Iranian citizens have been under a ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration not to travel to the United States.
Baghaei reiterated that as the host country, the US is required by FIFA regulations to provide the necessary conditions for the presence of participating teams, coaches, and all relevant delegation members.
“This is an international obligation that must be accepted by a country when it is awarded the hosting status. Violation of this obligation entails international responsibility for the United States,” the Iranian diplomat added.
Tehran and Washington cut their friendly and strategic relations in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution which ousted the pro-west shah monarchy.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Fra...
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's f...
Since 2021, only 9 per cent of $8 billion in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan can be traced beyond initial recipients in public re...
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
Russia has agreed to work with Ghana on developing a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant following talks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Saturday.
Foreign ministers from the U.S., Japan, Australia and India raised concerns over export restrictions and economic coercion at a Quad meeting in Atlanta, U.S., on Saturday, 31 October 2026, according to their joint statement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment