Iran says no visa for U.S women badminton team due to late application

Iran says no visa for U.S women badminton team due to late application

TEHRAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran said on Wednesday that it has issued no visa for a U.S. women badminton team for a Tehran tournament due to its late application, the state TV IRIB reported on its website.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi made the remarks in his weekly press conference in Tehran, referring to the lack of enough time to process "the visas" for the team which was to compete in the Iran Fajr International Badminton Tournament to be opened on Friday.

"The process of visa issuance takes long time, (therefore) the U.S. (women) badminton team could not attend the competitions," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

The U.S. badminton team, including eight female players and four coaches and managers, had been expected to arrive in Tehran around noon Wednesday from Dubai.

Earlier on Monday, the U.S. State Department said in a statement that the country would send its women's badminton team to Iran from Tuesday to next Monday at the invitation of the Iranian Badminton Federation.

"This visit is part of our people-to-people exchanges with Iran," the department statement said, adding that the U.S. side looks forward to hosting the Iranian Badminton Federation for the U.S. Open in July.

According to the department, it "has included Iranians in a range of educational, professional, and cultural exchange programs" since 2006.

"In the past two years, over 250 Iranians, including artists, athletes, and medical professionals, have participated in exchange programs in the United States."

The badminton visit could have been the first step taken by the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama on its relationship with Tehran, which has vowed to utilize all the tools of the so-called smart power to "reach out to both friends and adversaries."

The United States severed its ties with Iran in 1980. Since then, Washington has been trying to beef up its sanctions against Tehran for allegedly developing secretly nuclear weapons and for being involved in anti-U.S. coalition forces' activities in Iraq.