“The World Cup is a premier event, but in terms of options outside of it, we’re talking through different scenarios,” Taylor said. “Between everyone, we’ll go with what’s best for the United States moving forward. We’ll be ready to wrestle at a moment’s notice and we’ll continue to look forward.”

The Iron Sheik, the former professional and Olympic wrestler voiced his displeasure for Iran’s decision on Twitter.

I AM READY TO BREAK EVERYBODY https://t.co/If4PJ7scSR — The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) February 3, 2017

The Sheik, who was a noted pro wrestling villain during the 1980s and is now a major celebrity on social media, was a member of Iran's 1968 Olympic team. He fled the country in 1969 after his friend and mentor Gholamreza Takhti was murdered. He moved to the U.S., where he won an AAU championship in 1971, and was presented a gold medal by Muhammad Ali. The next year, he served as an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic wrestling team. The Sheik (real name Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri) often uses the strength of Twitter account's half-a-million followers and his renewed celebrity to support U.S. amateur wrestling.