live What happened in the Middle East conflict on Wednesday
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as ...
Tehran has protested to Washington because of the travel ban on its football team delegation as well as Iranian fans who would like to travel to the United States for the upcoming World Cup matches in 2026.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced it has protested against the move by the U.S. administration to deny visas to football federation officials and support members of Iran’s team plus the Iranians interested in watching their national team’s matches next year in the United States.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference on Sunday that Iran had expressed its protest to the U.S. banning members of the Iranian delegates to participate in the FIFA final draw event.
“We have expressed our protest against the U.S.'s refusal to issue visas to members of the Iranian delegation to participate in the draw ceremony, and we expect that this matter, which is completely legal and logical, will be respected by FIFA, as the organizing body and guardian of the international community.”
The Iranian Football Federation had vowed it would boycott the World Cup draw because visas had not been issued by the U.S. government to all members of its delegation, including the federation’s president.
However, it reversed the plans to boycott the event on Friday and sent a delegation to the United States.
In FIFA World Cup 2026, Iran squad will face Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand after being drawn into Group G at the next year’s tournament.
Since June, Iranian citizens have been under a ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration not to travel to the United States.
Baghaei reiterated that as the host country, the US is required by FIFA regulations to provide the necessary conditions for the presence of participating teams, coaches, and all relevant delegation members.
“This is an international obligation that must be accepted by a country when it is awarded the hosting status. Violation of this obligation entails international responsibility for the United States,” the Iranian diplomat added.
Tehran and Washington cut their friendly and strategic relations in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution which ousted the pro-west shah monarchy.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 4th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
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