Iranian Soccer Chief Says National Team Will Not Go To World Cup If Revolutionary Guards Are 'Insulted'
The head of Iran’s Football Federation has said the national team will only take part in the 2026 World Cup if the United States guarantees it will not “insult” the Islamic Republic’s “military institutions,” particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Speaking on late on May 5, Mehdi Taj said Iran was seriously preparing for the tournament and that players will likely travel to Turkey for training camps and friendly matches after the domestic soccer season ends.
Taj added that the federation would seek “serious guarantees” during meetings with during meetings with Gianni Infantino, the president of world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, and other officials.
Referring to a recent controversy in which he and two other officials were turned back from Toronto airport while on their way to a FIFA congress, he said that, if a similar incident happened in the United States, “the national team may return" home.
“They do not have the right to insult our military institutions, especially the IRGC, and they cannot insult our officials,” Taj said.
Iran’s Football Federation said its delegation had returned from Canada after “the conduct of immigration officials at the airport and insults directed at one of the armed forces institutions.”
The Canadian government, without naming individuals, said people linked to the IRGC were not permitted to enter the country. Canada designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in June 2024.
The United States also designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization during Donald Trump’s first administration.
Iran Responds To Talk Of Deal With US
Following reports that an agreement between Washington and Tehran to end the war is imminent, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said that Tehran is still considering the US proposal.
Esmail Baghaei told ISNA news agency on May 6 that "The American proposal is still being reviewed by Iran, and Iran will convey its points of view to the Pakistani side after summarizing them."
US media outlets, led by Axios, reported on May 6 that Tehran and Washington were close to an agreement on a one-page memorandum to end the war in the Gulf.
Iran's Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), quoted an unnamed source as saying that the latest US proposal "contains some unacceptable clauses" and that Iran has not yet responded to it.
The Fars news agency, which is also close to the IRGC, reported that "no new written messages have been exchanged between Iran and the US" and denied media reports that an understanding was imminent.
In its report on a possible deal, Axios said an agreement could include Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the United States agreeing to lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Say Safe Transit Through Hormuz Strait Possible Once "Aggressors' Threats' End
In its first official reaction to the suspension of US naval operations in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has said that safe passage through the crucial waterway would be possible once “the threats of aggressors” end and “new procedures” are implemented.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media on May 6, the IRGC Navy command thanked ship captains and owners for transiting the strait in accordance with what it called “Iran’s regulations,” adding that vessels had made a “positive contribution to maritime security in the region.”
The statement did not provide any details about the “new procedures.”
The remarks came after President Donald Trump said on May 5 that “Project Freedom,” a US operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, would be temporarily paused to allow time to finalize a possible agreement with Iran.
Iranian Soccer Chief Says National Team Will Not Go To World Cup If Revolutionary Guards Are 'Insulted'
The head of Iran’s Football Federation has said the national team will only take part in the 2026 World Cup if the United States guarantees it will not “insult” the Islamic Republic’s “military institutions,” particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Speaking on late on May 5, Mehdi Taj said Iran was seriously preparing for the tournament and that players will likely travel to Turkey for training camps and friendly matches after the domestic soccer season ends.
Taj added that the federation would seek “serious guarantees” during meetings with during meetings with Gianni Infantino, the president of world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, and other officials.
Referring to a recent controversy in which he and two other officials were turned back from Toronto airport while on their way to a FIFA congress, he said that, if a similar incident happened in the United States, “the national team may return" home.
“They do not have the right to insult our military institutions, especially the IRGC, and they cannot insult our officials,” Taj said.
Iran’s Football Federation said its delegation had returned from Canada after “the conduct of immigration officials at the airport and insults directed at one of the armed forces institutions.”
The Canadian government, without naming individuals, said people linked to the IRGC were not permitted to enter the country. Canada designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in June 2024.
The United States also designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization during Donald Trump’s first administration.
French Shipping Firm Says Vessel Attacked in Hormuz Strait
French shipping group CMA CGM said one of its vessels was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring ongoing risks to commercial shipping amid the Iran conflict.
“The CMA CGM San Antonio was the target of an attack…resulting in injuries among crew members and damage to the vessel,” the company said, adding that those injured had been evacuated from the Maltese-flagged ship for treatment.
The incident, which occurred on May 5, came as US President Donald Trump said he would pause a naval escort operation in the strait, citing “great progress” toward a deal with Iran.
CMA CGM, which is the world’s third-largest container shipping line, said it had previously reported warning shots at one of its vessels. It also indicated 14 of its ships were stranded in the Gulf at the start of the war.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy flows, has seen hundreds of vessels stranded as the conflict disrupts roughly a fifth of world oil trade.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Iran Says Sound Of Explosions On Qeshm Island Linked to Drone Interception
Authorities in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said explosion sounds heard overnight on Qeshm Island were linked to air defenses intercepting drones, denying any damage.
A provincial statement on May 6 said the noise was “caused by countering small drones and reconnaissance UAVs” and that “no impact, damage or explosion” had occurred on the island.
Officials gave no explanation for a separate blast reported in the port city of Bandar Abbas.
The incidents come amid recurring reports of nighttime explosions across Iran since a cease-fire with the United States and Israel, which authorities often attribute to unexploded ordnance or air defense activity against drones.
Beijing Urges Immediate Cease-Fire In Iran As Trump-Xi Summit Nears
- By Colin Hood
Beijing has reiterated its call for a “comprehensive cease-fire” in the Iran-US conflict and for a return to normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi kicked off his first visit to China since the conflict erupted at the end of February.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after a meeting with Araqchi on May 6 in the Chinese capital that China will work “harder” to help bring an end to the fighting and play a “greater role in restoring peace and tranquility to the Middle East."
"China believes that a complete cessation of hostilities is imperative, restarting the conflict is unacceptable and persisting in negotiations is particularly important," Wang said, according to a statement from his ministry after the talks, which come one week before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Araqchi’s meeting with Wang came amid media reports that Tehran and Washington are close to an agreement on a one-page memorandum to end the war in the Gulf.
Read more here
Trump Says US Will Pause Operation To Guide Ships Through Hormuz Strait
- By RFE/RL
US President Donald Trump has announced that the operation called Project Freedom to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz will be “paused for a short period of time" after making "Great Progress....toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran."
In a post on Truth Social on May 6, Trump said the decision was made at the request of Pakistan, which is mediating talks between the US and Iran, “to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.” However, a US blockade of Iranian ports is to remain in place.
The US launched the so-called Project Freedom to restore commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz halted by Iran, leaving thousands of ships stranded on both sides of the strait for weeks and impacting the global economy.
Iran blocked transit through the crucial waterway threatening to target any vessels that attempted to pass through the strait without its consent in response to the US and Israeli military campaign against it, which was launched on February 28.
Trump’s announcement followed a news conference by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which he announced that US military campaign against Iran, called Epic Fury, has ended.
Read more here
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Iran Denies Attacks On UAE, Warns Against Retaliation
Iran has denied that it carried out any attacks on the United Arab Emirates, while warning that it would deliver a “crushing and regret-inducing response” to any attack launched from UAE territory.
In a statement issued on May 5, the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, which coordinates the military of the Islamic republic, said Iran’s armed forces had carried out “no missile or drone operations against the UAE" in recent days, adding that "if any action had been taken, we would have announced it clearly and decisively."
The statement accused the UAE of becoming “one of the main American and Zionist bases,” and warned that “if any action is taken from UAE territory against our islands, ports, or coasts, we will respond with a crushing and regret-inducing response.”
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said that the country had been targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks on May 4 and May 5.
According to the UAE, an oil industrial complex in Fujairah caught fire during the attack on May 4, and three Indian nationals sustained minor injuries.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry has said the country reserves its right to respond to Iranian attacks.
US Proposes UN Resolution, Says Iran 'Holds World’s Economy Hostage'
- By RFE/RL
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Washington has proposed a UN Security Council resolution to secure the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of threatening global trade.
In a May 5 statement, Rubio said Iran “continues to hold the world’s economy hostage” through threats to shipping, sea mines and efforts to impose tolls.
The draft resolution, backed by Persian Gulf partners, would require Iran to “cease attacks, mining, and tolling” and disclose mine locations while supporting a humanitarian corridor.
The United States expects the measure to be voted on “in the coming days,” Rubio said in the statement.