United States’ security chief Markwayne Mullin said he “danced a happy dance” when Iran were eliminated from the World Cup.
The Iranian team exited the tournament in heartbreaking fashion when they were denied a late winner against Egypt by VAR, which deemed goalscorer Shoja Khalilzadeh’s toes offside.
The 1-1 draw saw Iran finish third in Group G, and they narrowly missed out on one of eight spots in the knockout rounds for third-placed teams, falling short on goal difference.
Mullin, who runs the US Department of Homeland Security, told reporters: “I’m just glad they’re done, and they’re not coming back. I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.’
He added: “There wasn’t a single team that we had to spend more time dealing with than Iran.”
The Iranian team’s preparations for World Cup games have been affected by international relations between the countries.
Iran were forced to move their training base from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, and the squad was only allowed to enter the US the day before its first two matches in Los Angeles, and two days before the final game in Seattle. They were made to return to Mexico immediately after each match had finished. Some staff members were denied visas to enter America.
Mullin also accused the Iranian delegation of trying to sneak a person tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps into the United States. The Iran Football Federation called the claim “false, fabricated and entirely baseless.”
Responding to Mullin’s latest remarks, a spokesperson for the federation said: “Iranians are used to the mistreatment and lies of US officials, so no one in Iran is surprised by these hostile remarks. These remarks once again demonstrate that US officials have no commitment to international law or the principles expected of a host nation capable of organising a global sporting event.
“The fact that he openly celebrates Iran’s elimination says far more about him than it does about our team. It reflects a level of pettiness that cannot even tolerate the presence of a football team competing on the world’s biggest stage.
“After our match against New Zealand, our head coach said that the United States did not want Iran to remain in this tournament because of the inhumane and unprofessional treatment our team experienced. These latest comments only reinforce that belief.”
Referring to the bombing of a school in the Iranian town of Minab in February, which Donald Trump blamed on Iran, the spokesperson added: “When they kill 168 children and lie to the whole world about it, nothing this person says is surprising to any of us.”
Reuters reported in March that an initial internal US military assessment found American forces were likely responsible for the strike. The Pentagon has since elevated the investigation but has not publicly confirmed any conclusions. The New York Times reported that the investigation determined the US was responsible for the missile strike.
