Mullin: I 'danced a happy dance' when Iran got knocked out

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Tuesday that he “danced a happy dance” when Iran was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup — unusually blunt remarks from the official whose department is overseeing security at the U.S. games. "I'm just glad they're done, and they're not coming back," Mullin said. "I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave U.S. soil, and I might have sung a song or two, or maybe danced a happy dance." The World Cup is no stranger to geopolitics, but his comments this week underscore just how politically fraught this tournament cycle has become. Indeed, Iran’s participation in the tournament had been in doubt for months. After Trump ordered military strikes against Iran, FIFA President Gianni Infantino conducted shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Tehran to avoid a boycott that some feared would delegitimize the world’s largest sporting event. The administration ended up creating a unique arrangement where Iran would play its matches in Tijuana, Mexico — flying in the day before each match and out immediately after. Mullin’s remarks came after he addressed employees from across the federal government at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Special Events Coordination Center, which coordinated security planning for the expanded 48-team tournament. Speaking with reporters afterward, Mullin vigorously defended the administration's decision to impose unprecedented travel restrictions on the Iranian national team, arguing U.S. officials had gone out of their way to accommodate the squad while protecting national security. He also dismissed criticisms from Iranian officials who had complained publicly that the restrictions on their national team were unfair and disrupted the team's preparation. "That wasn't accurate. They — of course, you can't trust anything Iran is saying," he said. According to Mullin, the administration had initially planned to admit the team five days before its opening match