Six of Iran's delegation of 35 members, including the National Federation's President Alireza Dabir, had visa applications to enter the US rejected, according to the organisation.

Iran International reported that Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medallist Dabir said in an interview last month discussing the anniversary of the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by a US drone strike in Baghdad: "We always chant 'Death to America' but it's important to show it in action.

"Some talk a lot but don’t do much.

"We need to prove [our beliefs] in action."

He criticised the decision reject the visas in a letter to USA Wrestling.

"Your country’s officials refused to issue visas despite all preliminary arrangements made by members of the Iranian team, presenting all necessary documents and repeated follow-up inquiries," Dabir said, quoted by Iran International.

Dabir then added: "I am personally sure that you [USA Wrestling] and the good American wrestlers had and have no role in these political, anti-athletic matters."

The two countries have no diplomatic ties, with relations deteriorating under former US President Donald Trump, including the introduction of further stringent economic.

A travel ban on arrivals from Iran and several other majority-Muslim countries was revoked when Joe Biden assumed the Presidency in January 2021, however.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, elected in August last year, has pursued a more hardline approach during talks to revive a deal concerning the country's nuclear programme.

Wrestling has been used as a means for "sports diplomacy", including a historic visit of an American team to Iran in 1998.

Iranian athletes have travelled to the US regularly since then to compete in wrestling matches, but the latest event appears to have been hit by visa issues.

USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender expressed his disappointment at how the situation panned out, although its men's freestyle team are still expected to feature and an international all-star team is one option under consideration.

"USA Wrestling is greatly disappointed that Iran has decided not to compete against our team at the Bout at the Ballpark," Bender said.

"As with the 16 previous times that Iran has competed in the United States since 1995, this event was organized for goodwill through sport, and as an opportunity for athletes from both nations to compete at the highest level.

"Iran received nearly all of their visas and could field a competitive team to wrestle against our athletes, but it was their decision not to participate.

"We have asked them to reconsider.

"It is our intention to provide a quality event for our partners at the Bout at the Ballpark and for the fans in Texas, showcasing our top athletes, perhaps in another format."

The Bout at the Ballpark had been set to feature a 10-bout dual in the freestyle discipline, and a match between an American and Iranian star in Greco-Roman.

USA Wrestling claimed that the event would still have been "a highly-competitive dual meet", despite the visa issues.

It added that while it has "no input on the decisions regarding the issuing of visas, it has regularly communicated directly with the Iranian Wrestling Federation about what it needed to do regarding the US visa process".

Iranian Member of Parliament Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini criticised the decision, with the Tehran Times citing comments made to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

"They [the athletes] are under the most severe sanctions and hostilities from the United States," Abbaszadeh Meshkini said.