Iran prohibits its athletes from traveling to "hostile" countries.

Iran has prohibited its national teams and sports clubs from traveling to countries deemed "hostile" until further notice, reported the Iranian news agency Isna, citing security risks for athletes. This measure comes nearly four weeks after the outbreak of war between Israel and the United States on one side, and Iran, which has spread to several countries in the region. "The Ministry of Sports announces that the presence of national teams and clubs in countries considered hostile, and unable to guarantee the safety of Iranian athletes and team members, is prohibited until further notice," Isna stated.

Since the onset of the war, questions have arisen regarding Iran's participation in the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Iran "will boycott the United States. " The president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, declared on March 19 that Iran "will boycott the United States," but "not the World Cup," which will take place in North America from June 11 to July 19.

"We will prepare for the World Cup. We will boycott the United States, but not the World Cup," Taj said. The Iranian football federation stated that it has engaged in discussions with FIFA about the possibility of relocating its matches outside the United States, although the global governing body of football has said that the tournament schedule will not be modified for now.

U. S. President Donald Trump sparked a wave of criticism a week earlier by stating that the Iranian team should not travel to the tournament "for their own life and safety.

" The training base for the Iranian team for the tournament is planned to be in Tucson, Arizona.