DHS Says IRGC-Linked Man Was Prevented From Boarding Iran World Cup Flight

Overview

• Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Sunday that U.S. officials stopped a person with "direct ties" to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from boarding the Iran team’s flight from Mexico after checks flagged the individual.
• Iran’s football federation (FFIRI) issued a formal denial calling Mullin’s account an "outright and undeniable lie" and accused U.S. statements of being fabricated and baseless.
• U.S. policy already bars people with direct IRGC ties from entering the country, and that policy has led to narrow travel windows for Iran’s squad based in Tijuana and to at least eleven reported visa denials for delegation members.
• Mullin also reported a recent rise in Iranian nationals trying to cross the northern U.S. border, saying arrests have increased and that Canadian authorities have assisted in apprehensions.
• The facts of the boarding incident remain publicly unresolved with no independent evidence released so far, and the dispute could have near-term effects on Iran’s World Cup logistics, FIFA complaints, and ongoing U.S.–Iran diplomatic talks.