USA Weightlifting has confirmed that an Iranian athlete who had initially been denied a visa to attend the 2017 IWF World Championships in Anaheim has been successful in his re-application ©USA Weightlifting

USA Weightlifting has confirmed that an Iranian athlete who was initially denied a visa to attend the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Anaheim has been successful with his re-application.

Phil Andrews, the chief executive of USA Weightlifting, told insidethegames earlier this month that the "high-profile" athlete, whose name the national governing body are not prepared to share, was denied under rule 214b.

He also said that the Iran Weightlifting Federation had re-applied on behalf of the athlete, whose visa has now been approved.

Iran's Fars News Agency had reported that athletes Saleh Cheraghi and Ayyub Mousavi, who compete in the 85 and 94 kilograms categories respectively, were among four members of the country's delegation to have had applications turned down by the United States Embassy in Dubai having travelled to the United Arab Emirates for the necessary interviews.

But Andrews told insidethegames that neither of the athletes appeared on Iran's preliminary list of entries, nor had visa support invitation letters from the Organising Committee.

Fars News Agency also stated that Ehsan Sharif Ahmadi, a national team masseur, was part of the quartet turned down along with the Iran Weightlifting Federation's director of public relations.

Last month, it was announced that citizens of eight countries, including Iran, will face new restrictions on entry to the US under a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump that replaced his expiring travel ban.

The new rules, which will also affect the citizens of Chad, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, will go into effect on October 18.

Anaheim will follow fellow American city Houston in hosting the IWF World Weightlifting Championships ©Getty Images
Anaheim will follow fellow American city Houston in hosting the IWF World Weightlifting Championships ©Getty Images

The announcement of the new travel ban came as a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations was set to expire.

USA Weightlifting said in March it would seek "to determine what impact" the original ban might have on the IWF World Championships.

That left visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen unable to enter the US.

The directive, which also included a 120-day ban on all refugees, came into action on March 16.

The previous order, which divided the nation, was blocked by a Federal court.

Anaheim stepped in to replace Penang as hosts of the 2017 IWF World Championships in October after the Malaysian state encountered financial difficulties.

It means that for the first time in history two successive editions of the event will be staged in the US after Houston in Texas hosted the 2015 competition.

The Anaheim Convention Centre will be the venue for the Championships.