At the age of 26, Iranian photojournalist Sajad Imanian has already covered several international sports events such as the Olympic Games and past World Cup soccer tournaments. He hardly expected his nationality would haunt him six years after leaving Iran to live in Australia, where he is working as a social media specialist with the Asian Football Confederation.
An independent journalist, Imanian applied for a U.S. visa to cover the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. When his appointment came up at the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney, he found himself being questioned over his Iranian military conscription status and possible trips to Lebanon and Gaza in an interview that took almost an hour.
“I said I hadn’t even set foot in those places,” Imanian said.
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