Iran's football team has been granted visas to enter the US ahead of the the World Cup next week, US officials have confirmed.
The approval comes just 10 days before the team's opening fixture against New Zealand, due to be held in Los Angeles on 15 June.
"The visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued," officials said.
They added that the US would not allow the Iranian team to "abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses".
The Iranian football federation is yet to publicly comment on the visa approvals.