Iran denies visa to US badminton team; unfortunate, says US

Iran has denied visa to a US badminton team, which was invited by the Iranian Badminton Federation to participate in an

international tournament to be held during celebrations to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The US termed it as unfortunate. The tournament was scheduled to start from February 5 in which US badminton team comprising of 12 members including eight players and four coaches were invited to participate. As a result, the US team is returning from Dubai, where it had gone to apply for the Iranian visa to participate in the tournament, State Department spokesperson, Robert Wood, said.

"The Iranian Consulate in Dubai did not issue visas to the American team in time to participate in the tournament that I believe is scheduled February 5 through 8. The team is returning tonight," Wood said.

Terming it as a very unfortunate incident, Wood said: "My understanding is that all of the paperwork was supplied in time. They had everything that was required, but again, the visas were not issued."

Responding to a question, Wood clarified that the US team was "not denied" but were "not issued" the visas in time. This is not a good sign, he said.

"As the Secretary (of State) and others have said, when the Iranians unclench that fist, there will be a hand waiting to greet them, and so it's unfortunate. All the required paperwork was submitted in time," he said.