𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Iran’s soccer team will be welcome at this summer’s men’s World Cup but anyone deemed to have links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will be denied entry to the U.S., Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned.

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House his administration “would not want to affect ⁠the athletes” of Iran but Rubio said anyone deemed to be “terrorists” who “pretend they are journalists or athletic trainers” would not be allowed into the country.

Iran’s participation at the World Cup has been in doubt since the American-Israeli strikes on February 28 triggered the ongoing war in the Middle Eastern country.

“There is nothing from the U.S. that has told them (the Iran team) they cannot come,” Rubio said on Thursday, via Reuters.

“The problem with Iran 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.”

The IRGC has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the U.S. and other governments. “They (Iran) cannot bring IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend they are journalists or athletic trainers,” Rubio added.

Rubio was speaking after U.S. special envoy Paolo Zampolli said this week that four-time winners Italy “have the pedigree” to justify replacing Iran at the tournament, which begins on June 11 across the United States, Mexico ⁠and Canada.

Rubio said reports that Italy may replace Iran are “speculation” and based on the idea that Iran may withdraw its team, rather than not being allowed. “That’s if they decide not to come on their own, it’s because they decided not to come,” he said.

FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, have consistently said that Iran will compete at the World Cup as planned, despite the ongoing war.

Iran qualified automatically as one of eight teams from the Asian Football Confederation, and has been drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.