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Iran’s sports minister said that “under no circumstances” can his country’s men’s national soccer team participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Iran’s status in the tournament has been in question since the military conflict in the Middle East began with joint attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 that killed the country’s leader, Ayatollah ‌Ali Khamenei. The U.S. will host the World Cup in June and July along with Mexico and Canada. At the tournament draw in December, Iran was scheduled for three matches on U.S. soil, with a possibility to play the U.S. men’s national team in the knockout round. “Considering that this corrupt regime ⁠has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we ​participate in the World Cup,” sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said Wednesday on state TV. Iran has retaliated with counterattacks that have hit several other countries participating in the World Cup this summer, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. “Our children are not safe and, ​fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist,” Donyamali ​said. “Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they ‌have ⁠forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.” Late Tuesday night, FIFA president Gianni Infantino posted saying he met with U.S. President Donald Trump that evening to “discuss the status of preparations” for the World Cup. “During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino wrote. Trump last week said “I really don’t care” if Iran plays or not. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country,” he told Politico. “They’re running on fumes.” Full story in bio.