Iran cannot participate in the FIFA World Cup after the United States killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, says the country’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali. “Considering that this corrupt regime [the US] has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” the minister told state television on Wednesday.
Earlier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Iran’s participation in the World Cup would be welcomed by US President Donald Trump, with whom he met and discussed the upcoming tournament amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Infantino said on Wednesday that Trump “reiterated that the Iranian team is welcome to compete in the tournament”, which is being cohosted by the US, Mexico and Canada in June and July.