Iran says it will not play in 2026 World Cup after US strikes

US President Donald Trump said there is “practically nothing left” to target in Iran after weeks of US and Israeli strikes.

“The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable,” Trump told Axios in a brief phone interview.

“There is practically nothing left to target,” he said, adding: “Any time I want it to end, it will end.”

Trump also said the conflict would end “soon” and that the strikes had caused more damage than initially expected.

"The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period," Trump told Axios.

"They were after the rest of the Middle East. They are paying for 47 years of death and destruction they caused. This is payback. They will not get off that easy," he said.

Iran warned oil prices could reach $200 a barrel as the war in the region continues, a spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said.

Spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Iran would not allow oil shipments that benefit the United States and its allies to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We will not allow even one liter of oil for the benefit of the United States and its partners to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said in a video message.

“Wait for $200 a barrel oil,” he added, saying oil prices follow regional security and accusing the United States of creating instability in the region.

Iran is exporting more oil through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war while shipments from other Gulf producers decline, the Wall Street Journal reported citing tanker-tracking firm Kpler.

Tankers loaded an average of about 2.1 million barrels a day of Iranian crude over the past six days, compared with around 2 million barrels a day in February, the data showed.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned ships against crossing the strait since the conflict began, prompting many operators to avoid the route.

“Almost all ships crossing the Strait are linked to Iran or China,” said Christopher Long of the Neptune P2P Group.

Iran does not have the conditions to take part in the World Cup due to security concerns after the killing of its leader in US-Israeli attacks, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said on Wednesday.

“Our players are not safe and fundamentally such conditions for participation do not exist,” Donyamali said, according to state media.

He said Iran therefore could not participate in the tournament.

A senior Iranian naval commander said vessels must obtain permission from Iran before passing through the Strait of Hormuz after several ships were hit near the waterway.

Alireza Tangsiri, head of the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said ships that ignored warnings and attempted to transit the strait had run into trouble.

He cited the vessels Expres Rome and Mayuree Naree, saying they had tried to pass despite warnings and were caught in incidents.

Maritime security agencies said three ships were hit by unknown projectiles on Wednesday, bringing the number of vessels struck in the area since the war began to at least 14.

The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was hit by two projectiles, causing a fire and damage to the engine room, its operator Precious Shipping said. Twenty crew members were evacuated in Oman while three were reported missing.

Two other ships also sustained damage: the Japan-flagged container ship ONE Majesty, operated by Ocean Network Express, and the bulk carrier Star Gwyneth, owned by Star Bulk Carriers. Crews on those vessels were reported safe.