DHS Chief Mullin Says Iran Tried to Move IRGC-Linked Operatives Into the U.S. Using World Cup Delegation

What Mullin Said

Speaking on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures on June 22, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told host Maria Bartiromo that Iran's traveling World Cup delegation numbered more than 100 people. The U.S. vetted all of them. Fifty-three were admitted. The rest were blocked because, according to Mullin, they had "direct ties to the IRGC."

"The rest of the individuals that Iran had tried to bring in, all also had direct ties to the IRGC and aren't their normal traveling group," Mullin said, according to SOFX and ZeroHedge.

One case was specific. Mullin said a man who attempted to board a plane on Saturday was presenting himself as the president of Iran's football federation. Vetting raised immediate flags: the man had only been appointed to that position in 2022. "The guy that tried to get on the plane yesterday had direct ties to the IRGC," Mullin said. U.S. authorities prevented him from boarding.

Iran International had previously reported that federation president Mehdi Taj, described by that outlet as IRGC-linked, had been denied a U.S. visa, according to SOFX.

The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran flatly denied Mullin's account. "The claim that an official representative of the Iranian football federation attempted to board a flight to enter the United States yesterday and was prevented from doing so is an outright and undeniable lie. This claim is so unfounded that those who made it are well aware that such an incident never occurred in the first place," FFIRI said, according to ZeroHedge.

The Operational Setup

Iran's World Cup squad is not based on U.S. soil. Due to a total U.S. visa suspension for Iranian nationals imposed by the Trump administration in June 2025, Iran set up its camp in Tijuana, Mexico, according to CiberCuba. The team crosses into U.S. territory only the day before a match and is required to leave the same night.

Iran had requested permission to travel to Los Angeles two days before its group match against Belgium to allow for preparation. That request was denied. Iran filed a formal complaint with FIFA, arguing the restrictions prevent players from adapting to host city environments. Mullin told Bartiromo that he has had "multiple conversations" with FIFA president Gianni Infantino about the travel arrangements, though he did not describe the substance of those discussions, according to CiberCuba.

Iran drew 2-2 with New Zealand in its opener and held Belgium to a 0-0 tie on June 21 in Los Angeles, per SOFX. Iran's next match is against Egypt in Seattle later this week.

The Broader Pattern

Mullin did not frame the World Cup delegation attempt as an isolated incident. He said U.S. and Canadian authorities have recorded a rise in Iranian nationals attempting to enter through the northern border, with most apprehended individuals having alleged IRGC ties. "We've seen an unusual amount of Iranian nationals trying to sneak in through our Northern Border," Mullin said, according to SOFX.

The IRGC is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government and, according to Nigerian Eye, has been in active armed conflict with the United States and Israel since earlier this year. CiberCuba reported that the U.S. attacked IRGC facilities and Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on June 11 as part of that conflict.

Iran's Position

Iran and its supporters would argue that the U.S. government's framing is one-sided. Iran is participating in a FIFA-sanctioned tournament on U.S. soil under terms the host nations agreed to. Its federation officials have legitimate administrative reasons to accompany the team. The accusation that a federation president is an IRGC operative has not been proven in any public proceeding, no charges have been filed, and the U.S. has not released supporting documentation. Iran's football federation has directly and publicly denied that the boarding incident even occurred. Critics of the Trump administration's posture would note that blocking sports officials without public evidence while conducting peace negotiations in Switzerland simultaneously is contradictory at minimum, and at worst a pretext for harassment of a rival nation's delegation. That concern is worth taking seriously.

At the same time, the IRGC has a documented history of using civilian cover for intelligence operations. The U.S. is currently at war with Iran. The State Department had publicly committed to blocking IRGC-linked individuals from entry. And more than half of Iran's expanded delegation, which was larger than its normal traveling group by Mullin's own description, allegedly had IRGC connections. That's a pattern, not a one-off flag.

The Diplomatic Contradiction

The timing is genuinely strange. Vice President JD Vance traveled to Switzerland on June 22 to negotiate a framework agreement to end the U.S.-Iran military conflict, according to SOFX. On the same day, Mullin went on national television to say Iran tried to use a soccer tournament to move military-intelligence operatives onto American soil.

On June 17, the two countries signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding to end the war, per CiberCuba. That agreement has apparently not resolved the underlying distrust.

Mullin himself acknowledged the contradiction bluntly: "These games that Iran plays makes them an adversary that you can't trust."

Vance's Switzerland talks may not produce anything durable while DHS and the IRGC are apparently running parallel operations against each other through a FIFA tournament. Neither Mullin nor the White House has said what happens to Iran's World Cup participation if another infiltration attempt is detected.