The bad blood between the two nations reached boiling point when Mullin revealed his delight at Iran’s failure to progress. The US official had stated: “I’m just glad they’re [Iran] 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. I’m very happy they’re going back because there wasn’t a single team that we dealt with more than them.”
Iran’s response was swift and uncompromising, stating: “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.”
The federation also highlighted the “inhumane and unprofessional treatment” the team faced, including being forced to relocate their base camp from Arizona to Mexico and the denial of visas for 11 staff members, including federation president Mehdi Taj.