Dear Secretary Rubio,

 

We respectfully urge the United States Department of State to deny visas to any members, officials, security personnel, representatives, or other accompanying individuals affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), or acting on behalf of entities connected to the IRGC, as part of the Iranian national football delegation for the FIFA World Cup.

 

This request is not directed at athletes as athletes. Rather, it concerns individuals who may seek entry to the United States under the cover of a sporting delegation while maintaining formal, operational, political, security, or propaganda-related ties to the IRGC or to institutions involved in the repression of Iranian citizens.

 

The IRGC is designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Individuals affiliated with or acting on behalf of the IRGC should not be permitted to use an international sporting event hosted in the United States as an opportunity for access, visibility, propaganda, or political legitimacy.

 

We are particularly concerned about the presence of government-linked officials, security personnel, handlers, federation representatives, media affiliates, or political operatives who may accompany the Iranian national team while representing or advancing the interests of the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus.

 

Recent reports regarding the Iranian team’s official farewell ceremony in Tehran, including the reported display of Hezbollah flags and anti-American chants, raise serious concerns about the politicization of the delegation and the use of football as a vehicle for state propaganda.

 

We further urge the United States government to deny entry to any individuals involved in the arrest, prosecution, imprisonment, intimidation, or silencing of Iranian footballers and athletes who publicly expressed solidarity with the Iranian people and the movement for freedom and human rights.

 

Documented cases of footballers and athletes who reportedly faced detention, prosecution, judicial pressure, persecution, enforced disappearance, or other forms of retaliation include:

 

- Ehsan Hoseinipour Hesralou  

- Ali Azizi  

- Abolfazl Doukht  

- Saman Nourmohammadi  

- Rashid Mazaheri  

- Hamid Haj Jafar Kashani  

- Amir Reza Nasr Azadani  

 

 

These athletes and individuals faced serious personal and professional consequences after supporting the Iranian people or expressing views perceived as critical of the authorities. Their cases underscore the broader pattern of pressure and retaliation directed toward athletes and public figures in Iran.

 

We respectfully ask the Department of State to conduct strict vetting of all non-athlete members of the Iranian delegation, including officials, federation representatives, security staff, media personnel, and accompanying individuals, and to deny entry to anyone affiliated with the IRGC or involved in the suppression, intimidation, prosecution, imprisonment, or silencing of Iranian citizens.

 

Sports should not be used to sanitize repression or provide legitimacy to individuals and institutions connected to human rights abuses, political intimidation, or violence against civilians.

 

We stand with the people of Iran and respectfully ask the United States government to ensure that the FIFA World Cup is not used as a platform for the IRGC, its affiliates, or representatives of state repression.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

ما با احترام از وزارت امور خارجه ایالات متحده درخواست می‌کنیم که به اعضا و مسئولان نیروهای امنیتی، نمایندگان یا افراد همراه وابسته به سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی (IRGC)، یا افرادی که از طرف نهادهای مرتبط با سپاه فعالیت می‌کنند و به‌عنوان بخشی از هیئت تیم ملی فوتبال ایران برای جام جهانی فیفا وارد آمریکا می‌شوند، ویزا صادر نشود

این درخواست علیه ورزشکاران نیست، بلکه درباره افرادی است که  تحت پوشش یک هیئت ورزشی وارد آمریکا میشوند، در حالی که همچنان دارای ارتباطات امنیتی، سیاسی، عملیاتی یا تبلیغاتی با سپاه پاسداران یا نهادهای سرکوبگر جمهوری اسلامی هستند

همچنین از دولت آمریکا می‌خواهیم از ورود افرادی که در بازداشت، سرکوب، تهدید یا خاموش کردن صدای فوتبالیست‌ها و ورزشکاران حامی مردم ایران نقش داشته‌اند جلوگیری کند.

 

ورزش نباید ابزاری برای عادی‌سازی سرکوب، خشونت و نقض حقوق بشر باشد.

 

ما در کنار مردم ایران ایستاده‌ایم و محترمانه درخواست می‌کنیم که جام جهانی به بستری برای تبلیغات سپاه پاسداران و عوامل سرکوب جمهوری اسلامی تبدیل نشود