Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayn Mullin during a House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Thursday, June 25, 2026 in Washington, DC, USA. The title of the hearing is “Department of Homeland Security Oversight Hearing.” Photographer: Graham Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Image: Bloomberg, Bloomberg, via Getty Images)
A top US security official pointed a knife at Iran’s national soccer team, which was celebrating after learning it was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup. Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Wayne Mullin further teased them by claiming he “might have done a happy dance,” reveling in the satisfaction he felt when he canceled ESTA visas to enter the United States.
Iran ended in a 1-1 draw with Egypt, leaving their fate in the hands of other teams. The match ended in a controversial manner as substitute Shoja Khalilzadeh’s shot in added time was disallowed by VAR, resulting in a late victory being disallowed. Animated graphics appear to show very fine margins that may have been determined by just a few millimeters, calling into question the reliability of the measurements produced by semi-automatic VAR systems. With this draw, all three games in Group G have been drawn, leaving them in third place with three points.
However, due to a neutral goal difference, they lost their third place in the mini table and were overtaken by Senegal with a +2 goal difference. In fact, their fate was sealed while Iran was not on the pitch. Instead, Sasa Karadzic’s equalizer in the 95th minute resulted in a 3-3 draw between Algeria and Austria, and Iran was eliminated from the tournament.
“I’m really glad they’re done, but they’re not coming back. I was very happy when we said we could revoke their visas and they could leave U.S. soil. And maybe we could sing a song or two and do a happy dance,” Homeland Security Secretary Marin, an ally of US President Donald Trump, told reporters as many soccer supporters expressed sympathy for the Asian nation.
Iran’s Mehdi Taremi complained about the way his teammates were treated. (Image: Alex Livesey – FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images)
He added: “There was no team we had to spend more time responding to than Iran.”
The comments followed complaints from multiple Iranian officials about how the national team, players and staff were treated throughout the trilateral tournament. Head coach Amir Galenoei said his team was “the most subdued” in the tournament, given the ongoing tensions between Iran, the United States and Israel.
Iran head coach Amir Galenoei claimed his team was being held back. (Image: Getty)
Iran’s training headquarters moved from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico ahead of the World Cup, and the team faced travel restrictions at every turn. It became the only country forced to immediately depart when a competition was scheduled to take place on American territory.
Galenoei lamented the “very unfair” treatment his team received from hosts the United States, and revealed that his team had “less than half” of preparation time. Iran captain Mehdi Taremi agreed, saying: “This kind of tension spoils the fun of the World Cup. I felt the tension from the first moment I arrived.”
Marin’s comments are unlikely to ease tensions anytime soon, especially after Iranian Ambassador Abolfazl Pasandideh expressed concerns about plots against his country on the ground.
In a wide-ranging statement to Politico, Abolfazl Pasandide claimed that Iran was battling “fatigue, fraud, and challenges that rarely appear in front of the cameras,” while also criticizing “pseudo-VAR” interventions.
“Perhaps some of the balls were centimeters short of bringing joy to millions of Iranians. Those centimeters were not even measured by the linesman’s flag, but were magnified by the intervention of the ‘pseudo-VAR’,” Pasandide wrote. “But nothing can weaken your determination.
