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The Iran striker Mehdi Taremi has said the controversy and disruption surrounding their involvement at the World Cup undermines Fifa’s message of peace and conceded he felt the tension before arriving in Los Angeles on the eve of their opener, hours before a peace deal was announced. For the first time since the competition’s inception, a host nation has received a country with which it is at war.

On Sunday Iran flew to LA from Tijuana, Mexico, where they were relocated amid an ongoing row over visas, but are expected to face opposition from Iranians, many of whom believe the national team do not represent the country. Iran has been beset by problems in the buildup to the tournament, with several officials denied entry to the US.

“This kind of tension undermines that joy and it undermines the message of Fifa and our people, which is about football and bringing about peace,” said the Olympiakos forward Taremi. “I think this World Cup could have provided a better atmosphere than it has and I hope in the future it will be better for all fans, whoever they are supporting.

“It’s not just Iran that has been impacted, others have been impacted, including referees [the Somali official Omar Artan was denied entry]. I have felt the tension from the first moment we arrived at this World Cup. Of course, we don’t have the same beautiful experience we usually talk about – peace and joy. I know several countries had visa problems and changing of training camps. The tension exists – it did before the World Cup even started. The feeling, the sensation people always have looking forward to a World Cup, I think this time they hadn’t had the same feeling.”

Taremi and his teammates touched down in LA after their plane’s second attempt at landing. On arrival at their team hotel in Manhattan Beach, they were greeted by some Iranian protestors, most of whom are part of the 375,000-strong Iranian population in California, the largest outside of Iran, as well as a heavy police and security presence, including drones, mobile surveillance and sniffer dogs. A western area of LA centred on Westwood is nicknamed “Tehrangeles” owing to the huge Iranian diaspora. “Iran will be playing as locals in Los Angeles, in spite of it all,” said Iran’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoi.

About 35,000 Iran supporters are expected for their Group G opener against New Zealand and several are expected to protest against the team before the game. “We are here to play football and we are here to represent the respectful people of Iran, be it the Iranians inside of Iran or the diaspora,” said Ghalenoi. “We are only thinking about our country. We’re not political people and the slogan of Fifa is this, that football is separate from politics. We respect each and every one of the Iranians.”

Ghalenoi conceded the convoluted travel has impacted their preparations. “We were supposed to start training earlier, but, look, we arrived late and we didn’t have enough time to adjust, of course that will affect us,” he said. “I know my players are determined to do their utmost. I hope the World Cup will go well despite the travel problems we’ve had … I hope it will not affect the quality of our play.”

Iran reportedly passed through customs without issue but arrived about 20 minutes late for their pre-match press conference at So-Fi Stadium. “It wasn’t our fault,” Taremi said. “The players of the national team play for every Iranian … People have different opinions but we are here as footballers to unite people and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians, irrespective of where they live. Everyone can have their own opinion. We are not here to get involved in politics, we are here to play football.”

Ghalenoi was also asked about the absence of Sardar Azmoun amid reports of a perceived act of disloyalty to the government. Azmoun, who plays in the United Arab Emirates, is reported to have angered his government by posting a photo of himself with the UAE ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Facilities in the UAE have been attacked by Iran during the conflict. “Serdar Azmoun is an excellent player and has done a lot for the national team, but he is not with us and we wish he was, but this is football, sorry,” Ghalenoi said.

An issue facing Fifa is the possibility of supporters bringing flags displaying the country’s historical flag, featuring a lion and a sun, from before the Islamic revolution. The flag is banned from stadiums at the World Cup. A Fifa official shut down a question relating to the flag, saying it was not relevant to the game.