Iran Sports Minister Rips U.S., Says Team Won’t Compete in World Cup

Iran says it’s not coming to the World Cup -- and the country’s sports minister is pointing the finger at the United States.

Ahmad Donyamali, Iran’s Minister of Sport and Youth, announced Wednesday that the nation cannot participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after their Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed during the initial U.S./Israeli strikes during the opening moments of the war.

“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” Donyamali said on state television.

While the regime may be mourning, Khamenei was long called repressive and brutal by many Western countries and human rights organizations.

The sports minister doubled down on the stance … saying the war has made it impossible for the team to compete.

“Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist,” he 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.”

FYI, the Iranian regime, which has been accused of killing tens of thousands of its citizens in cold blood over the last several months, is deeply unpopular with its people.

The decision could send shockwaves through the soccer tournament, which is set to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer. Iran’s group-stage games were scheduled for U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and Seattle.

The announcement comes as the war, which started Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes, continues to rage on ... as both forces continue to degrade and destroy Iranian military targets.

Iranian officials claim more than 1,200 people have been killed and over 12,000 wounded in the first 12 days of fighting … while Tehran has fired waves of ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones at not just military targets, but civilian infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of innocent people.

As for the World Cup, Iran was actually the first country to qualify for the tournament ... but if the government follows through on the threat, FIFA will be forced to fill their spot.