Trump says Iran 'welcome' at World Cup, warns against attending for their 'life and safety'

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran's national football team is welcome to compete in this summer's World Cup but warned it may not be safe for them to do so.

"I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety," he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Trump had reaffirmed that Iran is welcome, adding that the World Cup was needed "now more than ever" to bring people together. "Football unites the world," Infantino said in a statement.

Iran's Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali had already said the country would not take part, citing the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli joint attacks on Iran that began on Feb. 28. "Under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup," he said.

Iran had qualified for the tournament, which gets underway on June 11 across the US, Canada and Mexico. The team was scheduled to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21 respectively, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

The escalation in the Middle East flared since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, reportedly killing around 1,300 people to date, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Eight US service members have been killed since the beginning of the campaign amid Iranian retaliation.