Iran Reportedly Threatens World Cup Players' Families Ahead Of U.S. Match

The United States takes on Iran in a pivotal World Cup match on Tuesday. While the minds of the USMNT will be solely focused on the task at hand, the same likely can't be said for the Iranians on the pitch given what's taking place in their home country.

According to a report, Iran has threatened its World Cup players' families with imprisonment and torture if they fail to "behave" in the lead-up to the match against the U.S.

The reported threat from Iran comes after the national team supported protestors back home by standing silent during the playing of the country's national anthem ahead of its match against England.

IRAN FANS BOO THE NATION’S NATIONAL ANTHEM IN POWERFUL REBUKE OF BRUTAL REGIME

Protests in Iran began over two months ago after a young Iranian by the name of Mahsa Amini reportedly died while in custody by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly.

Hundreds of protestors are believed to have been killed and roughly 15,000 people have been arrested by the Tehran regime for taking to the streets.

“Conditions in our country are not right, and our people are not happy,” Iranian team captain Ehsan Hajsafi told reporters after the loss to England. Hajsafi further said that the victims’ families “should know that we are with them, we support them and we sympathize with them.”

Iranian Government Infiltrating The Press

Meanwhile, Iranian 'journalists' are very clearly carrying water for the regime by asking ludicrous questions to the USMNT ahead of Tuesday's match.

One Iranian 'journalist' reprimanded USMNT captain Tyler Adams for pronouncing 'Iran' in a way he didn't appreciate. The 'journalist' then proceeded to ask Adams how he felt playing for a country that discriminated against black people.

Adams handled himself incredibly well.

“There’s discrimination wherever you go,” Adams stated after apologizing for the mispronunciation of Iran. “One thing I’ve become aware of having lived abroad, we have continued to make progress.”

“Education is super important. It’s a process and as long as you see progress, that’s the most important thing.”

The winner of Tuesday's pivotal match automatically punches their ticket into the knockout stage of the World Cup in Qatar.

Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.