Iran War

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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.

While Donald Trump initially blamed Iran for an attack on an Iranian elementary school last month, evidence appears to be mounting that the school may have been inadvertently hit by a U.S. missile during a strike targeting an adjacent naval base.

The New York Times reports that Iranian state media claims to have found remnants of an American Tomahawk cruise missile near the ruins of the February 28 strike, which reportedly killed 175 people who were mostly children.

The NYT says they analyzed photos of the recovered missile's parts and determined it to bear the markings of an American missile.