Iran Drops Out of World Cup Amid Conflict

0:00On March 11th, Iran's sports minister has ruled out the country's participation in this summer's World Cup, saying, under no circumstances, will they? Join the tournament. The decision comes amid ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel, following air strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader about 10 days ago. Those strikes sparked retaliations against Israel and nearby Gulf states, and the minister pointed to the resulting wars over the past eight or nine months, which have claimed thousands of lives as making any involvement impossible. FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently met with US President Donald Trump and received assurances that Iran would be welcome despite Trump's earlier comments that he did not care either way. Infantino stressed the tournament's role in uniting people during tough times. Iran sits in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, with all their matches set for the United States, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

1:00They skipped a recent FIFA planning summit for teams, pulling out now with trigger hefty fines between 275,000 euros and 555,000 euros plus potential. Bands from future events marking an unprecedented move since the 1950s.