Rubio says Iran footballers welcome at World Cup but IRGC-linked delegates may be barred
US Secretary of State clarifies Washington not asking Iran to skip tournament, though some delegation members with IRGC ties could be denied entry
Quick Look
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s footballers will be welcome at this year’s World Cup, distancing the US from a proposal that Italy could take Iran’s place.
- Rubio denied Washington had asked Iran not to attend, but warned some delegation members with ties to the IRGC may be barred.
- The proposal from US special envoy Paolo Zampolli was dismissed by Italy.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and several other governments. This creates complications for Iran participating in international events, as delegation members may include officials with IRGC ties. The proposal for Italy to take Iran's place was unusual and immediately rejected.
Iran’s footballers will be welcome at this year’s World Cup, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday, distancing the United States government from a proposal that Italy could take their place in the tournament.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Rubio denied that Washington had asked the Iranian team not to come to the World Cup, but warned that the US may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation it judged to have ties to Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is regarded as a terrorist organisation by Washington and several other governments.
No one “from the US has told them they can’t come”, Rubio said of Iran’s World Cup participation. “The problem with Iran, it would be not their athletes, it would be some of the other people [they] would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in, but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio added.
Rubio was responding to a reported proposal from Italy-born US special envoy Paolo Zampolli, who told the Financial Times he had floated the idea of Italy taking Iran’s World Cup place to US President Donald Trump and football’s world governing body, Fifa. The proposal was dismissed out of hand by the Italian government and sports officials earlier on Thursday.
Open Questions
- Which specific individuals in the Iranian delegation might be barred?
- How will FIFA and Qatar handle entry requirements?
- Will this affect Iran's participation in other international football events?
