Iran says it will boycott United States, not World Cup
Iran intends to boycott the United States but not the World Cup, according to Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj. The executive's comments came just days after he claimed that Iran was in talks with FIFA about moving the country's World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico. Iran qualified for the World Cup and is scheduled to play New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
But the country's participation has been thrown into doubt after the U. S. and Israel jointly launched air attacks starting last month, setting off a war across the Middle East that shows no signs of slowing down.
Iranian sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said last week that the team would not participate in the World Cup , but Taj has now clarified that his country is willing to play if it can avoid the United States. "We will be preparing for the World Cup," Taj said in a video released by the Iranian press agency Fars. "We will boycott the United States but not the World Cup.
" Will Iran's World Cup games be moved to Mexico? Last week, U. S.
President Donald Trump encouraged Iran to skip the World Cup, saying that team members and staff may have their "life and safety" at risk if they travel to the United States. Taj responded by saying that Trump's inability to guarantee Iran's safety meant Team Melli had no choice but to avoid traveling to the United States for the World Cup. "When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America," Taj said this week in a statement issued by the Iranian embassy in Mexico.