Trump Says Iran ‘Welcome’ at World Cup Despite Ongoing Conflict

United States President Donald Trump has said Iran would still be welcome to participate in this summer’s FIFA World Cup despite escalating hostilities involving the country, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Infantino revealed the comments in a post on Instagram after meeting Trump on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The competition is scheduled to begin on 11 June.

The FIFA president said the pair discussed the ongoing situation in Iran during their meeting.

“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.

“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the president of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that football unites the world.”

Iran’s participation in the tournament had been uncertain following recent military escalation involving the United States and Israel. Strikes carried out earlier this month reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran later responded by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and several Gulf Arab countries that host US military bases, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Despite the tensions, Iran’s national team is currently scheduled to play three group-stage matches in the United States. They are set to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on 15 and 21 June respectively, before meeting Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Last week, Trump told Politico that he did not consider Iran’s participation a major issue, saying: “I really don’t care” if the team takes part.

However, concerns remain within Iran’s football community. Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, was quoted as saying that the recent attacks have made it difficult to approach the World Cup with optimism.

Meanwhile, Australia has granted humanitarian visas to several members of Iran’s women’s national football team due to concerns about their safety.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said seven people were initially granted asylum, although one later chose to return home.

The rest of the Iranian players departed Australia on Tuesday after the team was eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup.