US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with Iranian players but “some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them”, suggesting they may have ties to the Revolutionary Guards, which Washington has branded a terrorist organisation.
Last month, officials from Iran’s football federation abandoned a trip to the FIFA congress in Canada, saying they had been “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers.
One of their delegation, Mehdi Taj, is a former member of the Revolutionary Guards, which Canada has also designated a terror group.
“No visas have been issued yet,” Taj, who heads Iran’s football federation, told Iranian media on Thursday.
On Saturday, FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom held a meeting in Türkiye with the federation, describing it as constructive, as did Taj.
The squad’s US base camp will be in Tucson, Arizona.
The team, who are in Group G, kick off their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Jun 15, before facing Belgium in the same city and then Egypt in Seattle.
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