Iran announced Friday that it will boycott next week’s World Cup finals draw in Washington after the United States denied visas to several members of its football delegation.

A spokesperson for the Iranian football federation told state television that the decision was “not related to sports” and confirmed that the delegation will not attend the draw.

Reports from Iranian sports outlet Varzesh 3 earlier this week claimed that U.S. authorities refused entry to multiple officials, including federation president Mehdi Taj. On Thursday, Taj condemned the move as politically motivated, urging FIFA President Gianni Infantino to intervene.

Despite the restrictions, four members of the delegation — including national team coach Amir Ghalenoei — were granted visas to attend the December 5 event.

The dispute comes against the backdrop of decades-long tensions between Washington and Tehran. While the two countries had engaged in nuclear negotiations earlier this year, talks collapsed in June following Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran, which sparked a 12-day conflict and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.