The White House has defended its management of Iran's visa restrictions during the World Cup, with a key official stating that the team's decision to establish their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than Tucson, Arizona, was a mutually agreeable arrangement.
Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, asserted that the cross-border logistical arrangements functioned efficiently for all stakeholders, despite complaints from the Iranian delegation during the group stages and after their elimination from the tournament.
The Iranian Football Federation had sought a last-minute relocation of their base camp from Arizona to Mexico, partly due to uncertainty surrounding their visa applications for entry into the United States. Giuliani remarked, "It's important to point out that the Iranians chose to go to Tijuana. We were happy with that choice. I think the Mexicans were very happy with that choice. I think the Iranians, as they said, were very happy with that choice as well. I think what we tried to do here on the White House Task Force was apply common sense to making sure the athletes could have fair play on the pitch."
Giuliani also indicated that the decision helped ensure that individuals with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were prevented from entering the country under the guise of World Cup participation. Although the U.S. granted visas to all Iranian players shortly before their initial match, several support staff members, described by Iran's football federation as "key managerial and administrative members," were denied entry.
Initially, the Iranian squad was permitted entry into the U.S. only a day before their scheduled matches, leading coach Amir Ghalenoei to characterize them as the "most oppressed team" at the World Cup. Giuliani countered these claims by defending the travel arrangements, highlighting parity. He noted that for a match in Los Angeles, the Iranian team could arrive a day early, drawing a comparison to the U.S. team's longer bus journey from Orange County.
Restrictions were later eased for Iran's third match in Seattle, allowing their arrival two days prior. Giuliani explained, "For Seattle, it was two days because we knew that flight was a little over three hours. So we wanted to make sure they had that extra day so we could achieve the parity." However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stipulated that the team would still be required to depart on the same day as their match concluded. Following their group-stage exit, Iran expressed gratitude to the people of Tijuana for their hospitality, referring to Mexico as "our second home and our second team."
