TEHRAN, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Football Federation chief Ali Kaffashian said on Monday that the U.S. Soccer Federation has requested a friendly match with Iran's national team, the local ISNA news agency reported.

    "The U.S. Soccer Federation has forwarded a request of a friendly football match to Iran's Football Federation," Kaffashian said to ISNA in a telephone call.

    "We are studying this request and after the legal process and agreement with the match, we will respond to the U.S. Soccer Federation," he was quoted as saying.

    "We have not decided on the match yet, and in case of agreement the announcement will be made on how the match to be held," he added.

    In the 1998 World Cup Soccer competitions in France, Iran beat the U.S. 2-1 and in a later friendly match in the United States resulted in a 1-1 draw.

    The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Iran on April 7, 1980 after a group of Iranian students seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and captured some 60 American diplomats in 1979, with 52 of them being in captivity for 444 days in the hostage crisis.

    The tension escalated as the United States and its allies have been accusing Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, which Iran denies and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis