Iran manager Amir Ghalenoei criticised the team's travel arrangements after his players were told, moments after completing their FIFA World Cup opener in Los Angeles, that they would be required to head straight back to Mexico. The coach said the situation had left Iran feeling like the tournament's "most oppressed team".
The latest disruption adds to a growing list of challenges for Iran, whose World Cup preparations have been complicated by the strained political relationship between Tehran and the US.
Against the backdrop of a prolonged military confrontation that officially ended with Sunday's peace deal, US authorities withheld some visa approvals. Players were eventually cleared to travel, but only after receiving their documentation at the eleventh hour.
"After the game today, they said to us, 'You have to leave immediately'," Ghalenoei said, reported The Guardian. "Whereas today it's very important for us to have recovery."
"We've been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana and we are really troubled by that. They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles, but we're not going to let that stop us from doing our best," Ghalenoei said.
"We don't know why they're returning us, to be honest. I think it's very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us ... We were supposed to arrive two nights before the game but they didn't permit [it]. We were supposed to stay here tonight to recover and return at lunchtime tomorrow.
"I think our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. Our federation isn't here, our media isn't here, our management isn't here," Ghalenoei added.
Following the match, FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the Iranian dressing room. Footage later circulated online showing him addressing the players, with head coach Amir Ghalenoei responding through an interpreter who relayed remarks between the two men.
"You showed to your families, friends, to your people, to the world, that you're in the World Cup, that you perform and you have two more games to go," Infantino said. "In these two games, you will make everyone in the world proud of what you do. Thank you for being here."
The Iranian side took to the field against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, just one day after the United States and Iran declared a peace accord aimed at ending hostilities across all fronts.
After the final whistle, leading striker Mehdi Taremi voiced frustration over the team's treatment, branding the situation a "disaster".
"It's a lot of stress for the players and staff and everyone, but we don't have that support, and I think FIFA have to help us more than this," he told reporters, according to AFP. "Everything is like a disaster, actually, for us," he added.
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