After a federal judge temporarily blocked
President Trump’s ban on Iranians traveling to the United States, Iran said a U.S. wrestling team would be granted visas to compete at a prestigious international tournament here this month.
TEHRAN, Iran — After a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s ban on Iranians traveling to the United States, Iran said Sunday that the U.S. wrestling team would be granted visas to compete at an international tournament this month.
The move was aimed at de-escalating tensions with the Trump administration, which put Iran “on notice” and imposed fresh sanctions after the Islamic Republic conducted a ballistic missile test last weekend.
Iranian news agencies had reported Friday that Americans would be denied visas to compete in the Freestyle World Cup Feb. 16-17 in Kermanshah, a cradle of traditional wrestling in western Iran.
But a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that the U.S. team would be granted visas in part because of the decision by a U.S. federal judge to “halt the execution of discriminatory restrictions against the entrance of Iranian citizens to America,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
The decision on Friday by federal Judge James Robart temporarily lifted Trump’s ban against refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations, including Iran. Two Iranian archers were among those denied visas to the U.S. to participate in a tournament in Las Vegas that begins Friday.
Trump lashed out at Robart, calling the decision “ridiculous,” and directed the Justice Department to appeal the ruling. Early Sunday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration’s request to reinstate the travel ban immediately and asked both sides to file arguments by Monday.
American wrestlers have attended Iran-hosted meets more than 15 times over the past three decades.