As the World Cup begins in North America this summer, US President Donald Trump has issued an ominous warning.
President Donald Trump issues warning to Iran ahead of World Cup as conflict continues in the Middle East (Image: Associated Press)
President Donald Trump has said Iran should not participate in this summer’s World Cup for “its own life and safety” amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East. With less than 100 days until the start of the prestigious international tournament, scrutiny surrounding the event continues to intensify.
The competition will be held from June 11th in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and Iran is one of the countries that has qualified to participate. All games were scheduled to be held in American cities, with Los Angeles and Seattle playing against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt.
However, with the Iran war approaching two weeks and tensions in the Middle East increasing, the impact on the world of sports is now beginning to surface.
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“While the Iranian national soccer team is welcome to participate in the World Cup, we simply do not believe it is appropriate for them to be there given their own lives and safety,” he said in a post on social media platform Truth Social.
“Thank you for your consideration of this matter! President Donald J. Trump.”
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This comes a day after Iran’s Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali said the country was not in a position to participate in this summer’s tournament.
In the war, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in a regional attack. The conflict escalated as U.S. and Israeli forces continued to attack Iran, which then retaliated with missiles aimed at neighboring Gulf states.
On Monday, the US-based Human Rights Defenders of Iran (HRANA) reported that 1,761 people have been killed since the war began on February 28, including 1,245 civilians, 194 of whom are children.
“Our children are not safe and basically there are no such conditions for participation,” Donyamali told state television.
“Given the malicious acts they have committed against Iran, they forced us into two wars over eight to nine months and killed and martyred thousands of our citizens. So we certainly cannot have such a presence.
“Our children are not safe, and fundamentally there are no conditions for such participation. Given the malign acts they have committed against Iran, they have imposed two wars on us over eight or nine months, killed and martyred thousands of our own people. So we simply cannot have such a presence.”
Donald Trump (left) and FIFA President Gianni Infantino (Image: PA)
President Trump’s revelations came a day after FIFA president Gianni Infantino was said to have been told by the US president that the Iranian soccer team would be welcome to participate in the tournament.
“This evening, I met with U.S. President Donald J. Trump to discuss preparations for the upcoming World Cup and the growing excitement that it will begin in just 93 days,” Infantino said.
“We also talked about the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified for the World Cup. During the discussion, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is of course welcome to participate in the tournament in the United States.”
“Now more than ever, we all need events like the World Cup to bring people together. We are deeply grateful for the support of the President of the United States, as it shows once again that soccer brings the world together.”
