Iran Arrives in U.S. on Day of Peace Agreement Amid High Tension

[Anchor]

On this day, June 15, when the United States and Iran reached a peace agreement, the Iranian national football team set foot on U.S. soil for their first World Cup match. Due to the U.S. government's insistence on allowing entry only one day before the match, the Iranian team is following an unusual schedule, training in Mexico and playing in the United States. With protests against the Iranian government scheduled to take place around the stadium tomorrow, tension is rising.

Reporter Kim Soo-young has the story.

[Reporter]

The Iranian national football team arrives at Los Angeles International Airport, and the players respond to fans waiting outside by signing autographs.

They entered the U.S. just one day before their first group stage match against New Zealand, which will be held tomorrow morning.

Due to political tensions with the U.S., the Iranian squad, which had to train in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than in the U.S. where the match is held, and is limited to a two-day, one-night stay in the U.S. for the game, did not hide their displeasure during the official press conference.

[Amir Ghalenoei / Head Coach of the Iran National Football Team: We are much behind our originally planned schedule. Our training camp was also changed twice.]

Protests condemning the current Iranian government are expected near SoFi Stadium in LA, where the match will take place.

The protesters plan to wave the old Iranian flag used before the 1979 Islamic Revolution as a form of protest, and there is a possibility that it could be brought inside the stadium.

Although FIFA prohibits the entry of items with political significance, some civic groups have filed for an injunction in court, claiming that this infringes on freedom of expression.

While the Iranian team has stated that they will focus on the match for now,

[Mehdi Taremi / Captain of the Iran National Football Team: The Iranian national team exists for all Iranian people living all over the world. Therefore, as football players, we are here to unite everyone.]

The team has previously stated that if the old flag appears in the stadium, they will stop the match against New Zealand and walk off the field, so high tension is expected to persist until the match concludes.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-tae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.