The 27-year-old has responded after allegedly imitating shooting a gun with his hands after scoring in the draw with New Zealand
Iran footballer Mohammad Mohebi has denied accusations that he allegedly made a gun gesture while celebrating his goal in their World Cup 2026 match with New Zealand.
Iran twice fought back from going behind to draw 2-2 with the Oceania outfit, with Mohebi's 64th-minute strike salvaging a point in an entertaining affair at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
But the manner of how he celebrated his goal stoked controversy amongst fans and pundits. The 27-year-old, who plies his trade for Russian club FC Rostov, placed two fingers towards his arm, before holding two fingers out on his right hand and wagging them about in the air.
The incident has sparked calls for an investigation, given the volatility of Iran's place in the tournament in the United States. Mohebi has since responded, speaking alongside captain Mehdi Taremi to the media after the game, claiming there was no hidden agenda behind his hand movements.
"First, I wanted to say thank you to all the Iranian fans that came to watch in Los Angeles. They made a great atmosphere in the game," Mohebi said.
"The celebration was just coming in the mind, in the moment. I do it like this [gestures with his hands] and I wanted to do it like this for all the fans. It's just a celebration you know, and that's it."
Fellow goalscorer, Ramin Rezaeian, admitted that his celebration was political after he netted Iran's first equaliser of the match. Rezaeian covered his face with his shirt as he ran towards fans.
He refused to discuss it following the game, however. “It’s something political (his goal celebration)," he said. "I don’t want to talk about that. We are here to answer football questions. If there is a problem between us (the Iranian people), it is between us.”
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Iran were given a hostile welcome in Los Angeles after witnessing their national anthem booed before the match against New Zealand, while supporters also displayed pre-revolutionary flags in opposition to the regime currently in power.
Iranian fans in the stands showed the Shir o Khorshid and were likely composed of the nation's diaspora in Los Angeles. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei complained that his team are the "most oppressed" team at the World Cup.
“After the game today they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately,’” Ghalenoi said. “Whereas today it’s very important for us to have recovery.
“We’ve been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana and we are really troubled by that. They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best.
“We don’t know why they’re returning us, to be honest. I think it’s very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us … We were supposed to arrive two nights before the game but they didn’t permit [it]. We were supposed to stay here tonight to recover and return tomorrow lunchtime.
“I think our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. Our federation isn’t here, our media isn’t here, our management isn’t here.”
Away from the political controversy in the stands, the football on the pitch delivered an entertaining spectacle. Elijah Just put New Zealand in front after seven minutes before Rezaeian brought Iran level just after the half-hour mark.
Just grabbed his second of the game following the interval, before Mohebi's goal and subsequent controversial celebration marked a share of the spoils in Group G. The game finished 2-2 late on Monday evening.
