Iran Players Leave a Message of Peace After Belgium Draw, but Regime Symbols Draw Attention

After Iran’s 0-0 draw with Belgium at the 2026 World Cup, players left a note in their Los Angeles locker room calling for “peace, respect and friendship among all peoples.” The message, published by Iranian media hours later, said Iran had arrived in Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and left with honor after 180 minutes of play, while thanking Los Angeles for its hospitality and thanking Iranians who supported the team.

But the note also included the words “Minab” and “168,” which are tied to a propaganda campaign embraced by the Iranian government. The national team is competing under the name “Minab 168,” in memory of people the regime says were killed in a girls’ school strike in the city of Minab on the first day of Operation “Raising the Lion.”

The story was amplified by pro-regime outlets and officials in Tehran. Iran’s negotiating delegation has also adopted the Minab label, state media has shown senior figures wearing Minab pins, and parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was filmed speaking with families of the dead as part of a wider campaign around the episode.

Senior officials also linked the team’s results to Iran’s political and military struggle. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that “from the football pitch to the negotiating table to the battlefield, every step we take as Iranians is part of a larger struggle: defending the honor of our dear people.” Qalibaf posted a photo from the Belgium match and wrote, “This is how we protect our land.”

At the same time, opposition-linked media offered a different picture, saying fans booed the Islamic Republic anthem before kickoff, arrived with pre-1979 Lion and Sun flags, and protested outside the stadium. One fan was also shown holding a sign demanding the release of former goalkeeper Rashid Mazaheri, who was arrested in Iran after criticizing the authorities.