Iran football chief with IRGC ties sent back by Canada after arrival

Mehdi Taj, the IRGC-linked president of Iran’s football federation, was not allowed into Canada after arriving for this week’s FIFA Congress and later left the country, Iran International has learned.

Taj and two companions departed Canada at 10:05 p.m. local time on Monday.

Iran International had earlier reported that Canadian authorities had granted Taj a Temporary Resident Permit, allowing him to enter under strict conditions despite being otherwise inadmissible.

It remains unclear whether the permit was revoked upon arrival or whether authorities denied him entry following additional review or objections.

The disruption began on February 28, when connectivity dropped to a fraction of normal levels, according to internet monitor NetBlocks, and has since stretched beyond 1,400 hours with most users still cut off from global networks.

“Exactly two months ago … Iran was thrown into digital darkness,” NetBlocks said, adding that the blackout persists despite limited access for privileged users.

Economic toll runs into billions

The prolonged shutdown has transformed internet access into a central economic constraint, with losses mounting daily across multiple sectors.

Estimates from Iran’s Chamber of Commerce put direct daily losses at $30 million to $40 million, rising to as much as $70 million to $80 million when indirect damage is included.

Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi said the disruption threatens the livelihoods of around 10 million people, pointing to the limited resilience of small and medium-sized businesses.

Zahra Behrouz-Azar, the vice president for women’s affairs, said women have been disproportionately affected, with many home-based businesses collapsing under the restrictions.

“The situation has been imposed like a war, and the damages should not be denied,” Behrouz-Azar said.

Export industries have also struggled to maintain international ties. Mohsen Ehtesham, the head of the National Saffron Council, said exporters had been unable to communicate with overseas clients or verify deliveries.

“Exporters … did not have direct contact with international customers, and could not even confirm whether goods had reached them,” Ehtesham said.

He added the disruption had weakened Iran’s position in global markets and created openings for competitors such as Afghanistan to rebrand Iranian saffron.

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  Iran's digital economy battered by prolonged blackout

Social divide deepens

Beyond the economic toll, the blackout has disrupted daily life and created a two-tier digital reality, with limited access granted to select groups while most Iranians remain cut off.

For younger Iranians, internet access is closely tied to education, identity and social life, making the prolonged shutdown especially disruptive.

The divide has become more visible as officials and connected groups retain access to platforms blocked for ordinary users, while much of the population remains limited to a heavily restricted domestic network.

Human rights groups say such shutdowns restrict access to information, make abuses harder to document and leave crises with less public scrutiny.

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‘Internet Pro’ plan fuels backlash

Authorities have sought to manage the fallout by advancing a plan known as “Internet Pro,” which would restore global access for selected businesses and institutions while most users remain restricted.

Under the proposal, approved by the Supreme National Security Council, commercial entities and later industrial sectors would receive connectivity, with officials presenting the measure as a form of economic management.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the plan aims to preserve business operations during crisis conditions.

“Internet Pro has been approved … to preserve business connections under current conditions,” Mohajerani said, adding that access could change once authorities declare conditions normal.

The plan has drawn criticism for formalizing unequal access. Reports show some connections have been sold at high prices, prompting judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei to order an investigation, describing the practice as discriminatory and potentially corrupt.

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Civil society pushes back

Professional groups and users have rejected the proposal, describing it as institutionalizing digital inequality.

The Iranian Graphic Designers Guild said it would not submit a collective request for the service, calling it an insult and reaffirming the need for open and affordable access for all.

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Public reaction has echoed that stance, with users criticizing the idea of restricting connectivity in an era where digital access underpins economic survival and social participation.

At the same time, authorities are accelerating development of domestic infrastructure aimed at reducing reliance on the global internet, a move critics view as enabling longer-term isolation.

Sources within the Canadian government said Taj was issued a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP), effectively overriding his inadmissibility under strict conditions, including mandatory check-ins during his stay.

A TRP allows individuals who are otherwise barred from entering or remaining in Canada to do so for a limited period if authorities determine there is a compelling reason.

Such permits can be used to overcome inadmissibility linked to criminal, medical or security grounds.

Taj’s career reflects deep ties to Iran’s political and military establishment, blurring the lines between the country’s security apparatus and sports administration.

His early trajectory began shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when he served as an intelligence commander in the IRGC in Isfahan.

That affiliation helped pave the way for later roles in business and sports, including senior management positions at major steel companies such as Mobarakeh Steel Company and Zob Ahan through connections with influential political and industrial figures.

Analysts say the IRGC’s footprint across Iran’s football sector is extensive, with parts of the industry’s financial and organizational structures linked to entities aligned with the security apparatus—further underscoring Taj’s position within that system.

Questions over entry

Canada designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity in June 2024. Under Canadian law, the move allows authorities to freeze assets and may affect the admissibility of individuals with certain ties to the group.

Sources say Taj is scheduled to land in Toronto before traveling to Vancouver to attend a FIFA Congress on April 30.

Vancouver will host the 76th FIFA Congress on April 30, 2026, bringing representatives from all 211 member associations of world football’s governing body to Canada ahead of the World Cup.

Iran International has reached out to Public Safety Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and Global Affairs Canada for clarification on whether Taj’s past ties raise admissibility questions under Canadian law.

Separately, Iran International contacted FIFA and Canada Soccer regarding Taj’s attendance at the Vancouver event.

In a statement, Canada Soccer said the FIFA Congress in Vancouver is “run and operated by FIFA, including guest lists,” emphasizing that it is “not a Canada Soccer event,” and that it is participating only as a member federation. The organization added that it had forwarded the inquiry to FIFA.

The issue comes amid broader uncertainty surrounding Iran’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Since the war with the United States and Israel began on February 28, questions have been raised about Tehran’s presence at the tournament, with all of its group-stage matches scheduled to be played in the United States.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has drawn a distinction between Iran’s players and those around them, saying the national team would be allowed to compete, but individuals with ties to the IRGC would not be granted entry.

He stressed that the United States has not told Iran it cannot participate, saying the concern lies with accompanying personnel—not the athletes.

Taj’s expected arrival in Canada may offer an early test of how World Cup hosts enforce diverging policies toward officials tied to Iran’s security establishment.

The meeting, chaired by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, was convened following internal assessments and intelligence reports warning of potential unrest in the coming days, the sources said.

According to information presented at the meeting, officials believe mounting economic hardship—driven by rising prices, unemployment, and damage to key industries such as petrochemicals and steel—could become the main trigger for renewed protests.

Security agencies reportedly presented a highly critical picture of Iran’s economy, highlighting widespread job losses linked to the shutdown of industrial units in the oil, petrochemical, and steel sectors, as well as the impact of prolonged internet disruptions.

Estimates shared during the meeting suggested that Iran’s economy may not be able to withstand more than six to eight weeks of a naval blockade. The blockade began on April 13, and around two weeks have now passed.

Another major concern raised was the near-total shutdown of production centers in key sectors, including oil, petrochemicals, and steel. According to the assessments, rebuilding these industries could take years.

Security officials also said internet shutdowns have left around 20% of the workforce dependent on online activity unemployed. They warned that, based on economic forecasts, an additional two million people could lose their jobs in the private sector by the end of spring.

In the financial sector, the closure of markets—including banks, the stock exchange, gold markets, and currency exchanges—has effectively halted economic activity, leaving real prices for goods unclear.

During the meeting, representatives of security bodies expressed particular concern over a possible call for protests by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and the likelihood of his supporters taking to the streets.

Renewed protests inevitable

According to sources familiar with the meeting, security agencies concluded that public protests are inevitable, with the only uncertainty being the timing of their outbreak.

Calls for protests around International Workers’ Day have further heightened concerns among officials and were discussed during the council meeting.

Workers, retirees, teachers, and other wage-earning groups have repeatedly staged protests or issued statements over living conditions, delayed payments, job insecurity, and the suppression of independent labor organizations.

Ahead of International Workers’ Day, labor groups inside and outside Iran have again emphasized demands including wage increases, the release of detained labor activists, the repeal of repressive rulings, and the right to form independent unions.

Sources said members of the Supreme National Security Council believe that protests occurring during ongoing talks with the United States or following an extension of the ceasefire could pose a real risk to the survival of the Islamic Republic.

Iran has experienced several waves of protests, strikes, and civil disobedience in recent years, often driven by economic hardship, inflation, and widespread dissatisfaction with living conditions.

Authorities have responded with widespread internet disruptions, communication restrictions, deployment of security forces, and, in some cases, violent crackdowns.

The most brutal crackdown came on January 8 and 9, when at least 36,500 people were killed after millions of protesters held rallies across the country following a call by Pahlavi.

A European intelligence source provided Iran International with new details about the IRGC-linked espionage, sabotage and assassination network operating across several countries.

According to the source, the activities were overseen by an officer in the covert unit identified as Alireza Mohammadi, who allegedly operated under the alias Meghdad Hassani.

The source said Mohammadi recruited and directed individuals tasked with intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance against targets in Israel as well as US military installations in other countries.

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According to information obtained by Iran International, one operative allegedly working under Mohammadi’s supervision is Elshad Hajiyev, a 37-year-old citizen of a neighboring country also known as Akram Haji-Zadeh.

Haji-Zadeh is said to have studied as a cleric at Al-Mustafa International University in Qom, an institution sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2020 for being "used as a recruitment platform by the IRGC-QF for intelligence collection and operations, including recruitment for the IRGC-QF-led foreign militias."

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The European intelligence source told Iran International that Haji-Zadeh played a leading role in a cell recently dismantled in a neighboring country. Mossad has separately announced that it dismantled what it described as an Iranian-linked network in one of Iran’s neighboring states.

According to the source, the network’s alleged targets included an oil pipeline, a synagogue, the Israeli embassy and prominent members of the Jewish community. In April 2024, Haji-Zadeh appeared twice as a guest on the television program Helal, broadcast on Iran’s Channel One and produced in cooperation with Al-Mustafa.

Israeli and Western intelligence officials have in recent years alleged that members or affiliates of Al-Mustafa have been involved in covert operations in countries including Senegal, Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.

A wider campaign against Unit 4000

The alleged disruption of the network comes amid what appears to be an escalating Israeli campaign against IRGC intelligence and sabotage units over the past six weeks.

These groups were reportedly overseen by Majid Khademi, head of IRGC Intelligence, who was killed on April 6 in what Israeli officials described as a targeted strike.

Last week, Mossad, Shin Bet and the Israeli military said they had killed Rahman Moghaddam, head of the Special Operations Department of the IRGC Intelligence Organization—known as Unit 4000—along with two other members of the unit in the early days of strikes on Iran.

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A source inside Iran told Iran International that Moghaddam—previously deputy coordinator of intelligence protection at Iran’s Ministry of Defense—was killed around midday on March 3 in a strike on a residential tower in Tehran’s Kowsar Complex on Artesh Boulevard.

Another senior figure, Mohsen Souri, who Israeli officials say was involved in training local cells outside Iran, was also reportedly killed.

Mossad and Shin Bet said they located his safe house and killed him along with other IRGC members in what they described as a precise intelligence operation. On March 30, Iranian state media outlets IRNA and Tasnim published footage of his funeral in Karaj without mentioning his alleged role.

Another alleged Unit 4000 operative, Mehdi Yekeh-Dehghan—known as “Doctor”—was also reportedly killed in a separate operation. Israeli officials say he was responsible for operations in Turkey and for transferring suicide drones to Cyprus.

According to intelligence cited by prosecutors in Turkey, Yekeh-Dehghan and another Iranian officer, Najaf Rostami, were linked to a network accused of planning surveillance and possible attacks on the US airbase at Incirlik.

On January 29, Turkish authorities arrested six people accused of spying for Iranian intelligence. One of them, Ashkan Jalali, was accused of attempting to smuggle armed drones to Cyprus through his companies.

In recent years, Israel has repeatedly claimed to have disrupted IRGC and Quds Force plots abroad through intelligence operations and targeted killings.

If confirmed, the latest allegations would suggest Israel’s recent campaign has extended beyond missile sites and military commanders into the covert infrastructure Iran has built overseas over years.