Al Jazeera reports: The Football Federation of Iran said its men’s national team would take part in the 2026 World Cup this summer but demanded that joint hosts the US, Mexico and Canada agree to its conditions. A spokesperson for Iran’s military warned that any country enforcing US sanctions against Tehran will “definitely face difficulties passing through the Strait of Hormuz”, according to the Tasnim News Agency. War diplomacy Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said Islamabad will continue its mediation efforts between the US and Iran.
“We will do all our efforts to succeed in the mediation, and we will continue to do so,” Munir said in a public address on Sunday. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday in Miami to discuss the importance of “security across the Middle East”, the US Department of State said. The Qatari prime minister met US Vice President JD Vance on Friday.
Background
The two sides discussed “the Pakistani mediation efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions in a way that contributes to enhancing security and stability in the region”, according to a statement posted by Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs. Iran has yet to reply to the US proposal to end the war despite US President Donald Trump saying late on Friday that he expected to receive it that night. A reporter for the French broadcaster LCI, Margot Haddad, said on Saturday that Trump told her in a brief interview that he still expected to find out Iran’s answer “very soon”.
Key facts
- War diplomacy Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said Islamabad will continue its mediation efforts between the US and Iran.
- “We will do all our efforts to succeed in the mediation, and we will continue to do so,” Munir said in a public address on Sunday.
- The Qatari prime minister met US Vice President JD Vance on Friday.
- Iran has yet to reply to the US proposal to end the war despite US President Donald Trump saying late on Friday that he expected to receive it that night.
What this means
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed Moscow’s willingness to oversee the transfer and storage of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. Advertisement In the Gulf Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, expressed his country’s “full solidarity with the Kingdom of Bahrain and its support for all measures taken by the Bahraini security authorities” to uncover a cell linked to the IRGC and “espionage activities”. Bahrain said on Saturday that it arrested 41 people who are part of a group affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
The Ministry of Interior said investigations confirmed they were in contact with the IRGC and collected funds “with the aim of sending them to Iran” to support its “terrorist operations”. In Israel The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila, two activists whom Israel abducted from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, were deported on Sunday. The Israeli military said it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” that was detected in the area where its invading troops are operating in southern Lebanon.
Originally reported by Al Jazeera. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
