The United States has defended its travel restrictions on the Iranian national football team during the World Cup, despite Iran's plans to lodge a complaint with FIFA. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, stated that the current plan remains in place but is subject to change.
Travel Restrictions and Iran's Response
Iran is unhappy with restrictions that allow the team to travel to venues only within 24 hours of their fixtures and require them to return directly to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, after each game. Coach Amir Ghalenoei described his side as "the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup."
Giuliani on Dynamic Situation
Speaking exclusively to Reuters in Houston on Saturday, June 20, Giuliani said the situation is fluid. "The situation is dynamic," he said. "We have a plan right now. Tomorrow afternoon (after the match against Belgium) they will take the 27-minute flight back to Tijuana. We will see how it goes for match two, and then there will be discussions the day after in terms of what it looks like for match three in Seattle."
Defense of Measures
Giuliani defended the measures, noting that the pre-tournament shift of Iran's training base from Tucson to Tijuana reduced travel time. "The shift from Tucson to Tijuana, I think, was good for everybody involved, certainly it reduces their travel time to Los Angeles too," he said. "Their flight is an hour shorter than it would be from Tucson. And we're happy with the way that things went for match one in Los Angeles."
Visa Issues and Security Balance
Giuliani also addressed visa issues, confirming that all players and coaches have received visas, but some team officials have not due to derogatory information. "I would just point to the fact that all players have received visas. All the coaches have received visas. There are some team officials that have not received visas, and that's because we've seen some derogatory information on them, and this is the balance that we talk about."
Protecting Tournament and Visitors
Giuliani emphasized the goal of protecting U.S. interests and international visitors at the World Cup. "We want to make sure we have this incredible soccer tournament, where people are welcome and enjoy the World Cup, while also making sure that we are not just protecting American citizens, but we're also protecting all those international visitors that are coming here," he said.
No Credible Threats
He revealed that no threats to the tournament have been identified, but officials remain vigilant. "What I can tell you is our intelligence community has tripled down on this since the beginning of this year," he said. "We're in discussions every hour on it. But there have been no credible threats at this moment."
Opening Days of World Cup
Giuliani expressed satisfaction with the opening 10 days of the World Cup. "Things are going as planned," he said. "It's been fantastic to see the great play on the pitch, that seems to be the majority of the conversation, which has been fantastic. I think this is an amazing celebration of America over our 250th birthday, with the World Cup being the incredible highlight."
