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

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood approved a Metropolitan Police request to prohibit the march and any associated counter-marches for one month from 1600 GMT on Wednesday, while allowing only a static protest under strict conditions.

Police said it was the first time such powers had been used since 2012 and said ordinary protest conditions would not be enough given the scale of the event, expected counter-protests and heightened tensions linked to the Middle East conflict and Tehran’s threats to British allies and bases overseas.

The Met said the London march was “uniquely contentious” because it originated in Iran and is organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission, which police described as supportive of the Iranian regime.

Officers also pointed to security service warnings about Iranian state-backed threats in Britain, saying MI5 and counterterrorism police had foiled more than 20 such plots over the past year.

Previous Quds marches in London have led to arrests for support for proscribed groups and antisemitic hate crimes, police said, though they stressed this year’s ban was based on a specific risk assessment rather than politics.

The IHRC condemned the ban as politically motivated and said a static protest would still go ahead. Its spokesman Faisal Bodi told British media the march had taken place peacefully for decades, but he also openly praised Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and said he would “happily” hold his picture.

Britain is not the first European country to move against such rallies. Berlin banned its annual Quds march in 2021 after years of controversy over Hezbollah-linked symbols and antisemitic messaging, although German courts and local authorities have continued to wrestle with similar cases since then.

Despite the pressure, at least seven players managed to escape and seek safety in Australia following a series of events involving planning, outside help and a moment of chaos during the AFC Asian Cup held in Gold Coast.

Their situation became dangerous after players refused to sing the Islamic Republic’s national anthem during a match against South Korea. Soon afterward, Iran's state TV labeled the young athletes “wartime traitors”—a charge that in Iran can carry the death penalty.

Raha Pourbakhsh, an Iran International sports reporter who covered the tournament from London, said the threats quickly escalated.

While the girls faced the threat of persecution back home, defection was not an easy option either.

Iranian athletes—especially members of national teams—are required to submit substantial financial guarantees to the Ministry of Sports before being allowed to travel abroad, a measure aimed at preventing defections.

These guarantees may take the form of large cash deposits or property deeds, which can be confiscated if the athlete fails to return to Iran.

“For this trip, they dramatically increased the bond to 10 billion Tomans (almost $67,000). I received info from inside the camp that their families were being directly threatened,” Pourbakhsh said.

“Some players felt like they were hostages. They were told their families' safety depended on them returning to Iran after the matches,” she said.

The players suspected they were being monitored and avoided direct communication, believing their phones were likely tapped.

According to Pourbakhsh, security officials were embedded with the team to ensure the players remained under control.

“It was a brave move; I know at least three security officers from the IRGC were embedded with the team to control them,” she said.

However, the surveillance could not stop members of the team from leaving.

Raising the alarm

Pourbakhsh said she began alerting international media outlets after Iranian state television figures publicly called for punishment against the players.

“Western media doesn't follow state TV, so I clipped that video, translated it, and sent it to reporters at CNN, Reuters, and Tracy Holmes," who is veteran broadcaster with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The reporting quickly gained attention.

“Tracy Holmes interviewed the Australian Foreign Minister that same night about the threats occurring on Australian soil,” Pourbakhsh said.

As the situation escalated, Australian authorities became involved. According to Pourbakhsh, the Australian Federal Police were positioned in the team hotel lobby after concerns were raised.

Iran officials blocked from entering Australia

Iranian authorities also attempted to regain control of the situation by sending senior football officials to Australia.

According to Pourbakhsh, Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s Football Federation and vice president of the Asian Football Confederation, sought to travel to Australia as the crisis unfolded.

Australian authorities, however, denied him a visa due to his alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Instead, another federation representative was sent to Australia to ensure the players returned to Iran following the tournament.

Chaos and escape

The turning point came after the team’s third match.

Confusion erupted among Iranian security handlers as several players attempted to slip away.

Video shared by activists on social media showed one Iranian security official frantically searching through the hotel stairwell while activists followed him, shouting that he was linked to the IRGC.

“You’re in Australia—you better run,” one activist can be heard shouting in the footage. “Get the F out of the country, IRGC terrorists.”

Meanwhile, several players were attempting to escape through the hotel car park.

At one point, a fire door that should have remained open was locked, creating further confusion among the handlers.

Amid the chaos, the players managed to reach safety and make contact with authorities.

Desperate scenes

Witnesses described emotional scenes as the team prepared to leave Australia.

Fans gathered outside the hotel with signs reading “Save Our Girls,” fearing the players would face punishment if forced to return to Iran.

According to witnesses, one player was dragged by her collar and shirt in an attempt to force her onto a team bus.

Others flashed SOS signals as they boarded, indicating they did not want to leave.

Before the team’s plane departed for the long journey back toward Iran, several players were seen making distress gestures toward supporters and cameras.

Pourbakhsh said many players felt compelled to return despite the danger.

Their families remained in Iran.

A new life ahead

Seven players ultimately remained in Australia and sought protection.

Their story has drawn sympathy around the world.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help them rebuild their lives in Australia.

The Brisbane Roar Football Club also publicly offered support.

“Like many Australians, everyone at Brisbane Roar FC has been watching the story of the Iran women's national football team players now here in Queensland with immense admiration,” the club wrote on X.

“These are elite footballers — passionate, talented women who love the game just as deeply as we do.”

The club extended a direct invitation to the players.

“To Fatemeh, Zahra, Zahra, Atefeh, Mona, and any of your teammates building a new life here in Australia: Brisbane is home to one of the country’s most passionate football communities, and the Roar family has a big heart.

“We’d be honoured to open our doors and offer you a place to train, play, and belong.

“No politics. No conditions. Just football, community, and a warm welcome.

“Queensland is your home now.”

Trump issued the warning in a post on Truth Social, saying any attempt by Iran to mine the narrow maritime passage would trigger a severe response.

“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” he wrote.

“If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”

He later said American forces have destroyed 10 inactive Iranian mine-laying boats and ships in recent hours, warning that additional strikes could follow.

CBS News earlier quoted US officials as saying that Iran may be preparing to deploy naval mines in the strategic waterway in an attempt to further disrupt shipping through the Persian Gulf. According to the officials, Tehran could use small boats capable of carrying two or three mines each to place them in the strait.

The warning comes as the United States continues to review options to protect maritime traffic in the region.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday the Pentagon is examining possible measures, including escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass.

“We are looking at a range of options to set the military conditions to be able to do that,” Gen. Dan Caine said during a briefing when asked about escorting ships.

He said officials are evaluating the risks and resources required for such an operation.

The White House also signaled that the administration is preparing additional steps to ensure the strait remains open.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration has already offered political risk insurance to tankers operating in the Persian Gulf and temporarily waived certain oil-related sanctions.

She added that Trump has also offered the US Navy to escort tankers if necessary, but confirmed that no ship has been escorted yet, days after the idea was first raised to reassure maritime trade companies.

“The President and his energy team are closely watching the markets, speaking with industry leaders, and the US military is drawing up additional options, following the President's directive to continue keeping the Strait of Hormuz open,” Leavitt said.

Iran's Guards threaten commercial ships

Iranian officials have meanwhile doubled down on their own warnings over access to the strait.

Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the naval forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said ships linked to what he called “aggressors” would not be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

“If you have doubts, come closer and test it,” Tangsiri wrote on X.

Earlier, the Revolutionary Guards said Arab or European countries that expel Israeli and US ambassadors from their territories would be granted full freedom of transit through the strait starting Tuesday.

US officials say the military campaign against Iran has already reduced Tehran’s ability to carry out attacks.

Gen. Caine said ballistic missile launches have dropped sharply since the start of Operation Epic Fury.

“Ballistic missile attacks continue to trend downwards, 90% from where they started, and one-way attack drones have decreased 83% since the beginning of the operation,” he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States and Israel were “winning decisively” in the conflict and vowed the campaign would continue until its objectives are achieved.

The goals of Operation Epic Fury, he said, remain destroying Iran’s missile stockpiles, launchers and defense industrial base, degrading its naval capabilities and ensuring Tehran cannot obtain nuclear weapons.

“Our will is endless, but ultimately the president gets to determine the end state of those objectives,” Hegseth said.

Much of that privileged access is believed to operate through so-called “white SIM cards” – mobile lines exempt from Iran’s filtering system that allow direct access to blocked platforms such as X, Telegram and Instagram.

Spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani did not directly refer to those SIM cards but spoke about the government-imposed national internet blackout, saying Tehran is instead offering connectivity to “those who can better deliver the message.”

According to internet monitoring group NetBlocks, the Iranian government has been promoting its agenda through whitelisted online services while the public remains in a digital blackout

“The regime continues to promote its agenda through whitelisted networks, cultivating media assets at home and abroad,” NetBlocks said on Friday, six days into the latest round of nationwide internet shutdown.

This is while President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed in early December to deactivate the so-called “white SIM cards” that grant unfiltered access to a circle of state-linked users.

“We have instructed that these white internet lines be turned black as well, to show what will happen to people if this blackness continues,” he said.

Pezeshkian has repeatedly promised to lift filtering, a key pledge of his 2024 presidential campaign.

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  New X location feature fuels dispute over unequal internet access in Iran

Meanwhile, Iran’s nationwide internet shutdown has continued for more than 240 hours, marking one of the most severe government-imposed nationwide blackouts ever recorded globally and the second longest in the country’s history after the January protests, according to NetBlocks.

The group said on Tuesday that Iran has now spent roughly a third of the year 2026 offline.

On March 5, shortly after heavy strikes targeted areas near the Pasteur government complex in central Tehran – a district that houses the Iranian presidency and several key government offices – the Israeli military published a video depicting what it described as Khamenei’s underground bunker system.

The complex resembles a subterranean city. According to the video and accompanying imagery, the facility appears to have been used as a secure shelter for Iran’s leadership and may still be used by remaining officials following Khamenei’s death.

A tunnel network stretching nearly five kilometers

Analysis of the imagery released by the Israeli military, using publicly available online mapping tools, suggests the tunnel network extends close to five kilometers in length.

To understand the scale of the project, it helps to compare it with ordinary infrastructure construction in Tehran.

According to statements by Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani and members of the Tehran City Council, building one kilometer of metro tunnel in Tehran currently costs between 5,000 and 6,000 billion tomans – roughly $30-36 million at an exchange rate of about 166,000 tomans per dollar.

This estimate covers only the excavation and structural work. It does not include interior finishing, equipment, ventilation systems, or other underground facilities.

Based on those figures, building five kilometers of underground tunnel would cost about 25,000 to 30,000 billion tomans, or roughly $150-180 million.

Given the secrecy and security requirements surrounding such a project, the actual cost was likely significantly higher than that of a standard transportation tunnel.

Under normal conditions, tunneling contractors in Tehran can excavate around 10 meters per day. At that pace, building a five-kilometer tunnel system would take at least 500 days – roughly 17 months.

Considering the classified nature of the project and the additional infrastructure involved, the construction timeline may have been considerably longer.

The core of the complex: beneath a medical facility

The video appears to place the central section of the bunker complex southwest of the presidential compound in the Pasteur district.

The site sits directly beneath the Shahid Shourideh Medical Center, a clinic affiliated with Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture. The facility has operated since 1985 and effectively functions as part of the broader Pasteur government complex.

Based on the height of vehicle ramps and the dimensions of vehicles visible in the imagery, the central installation appears to be located 40 to 50 meters underground.

From there, the tunnel system extends northwest toward another entrance near the end of Rajabi Street, roughly 200 meters from the Shourideh hospital complex.

Easternmost entrance: next to an elementary school

The easternmost known entrance to the tunnel network appears to be located in the Sheikh Hadi neighborhood, along Valiasr Street, beneath the Jami multi-story parking garage.

This parking structure stands directly beside Hejrat Girls’ Elementary School, while Saheb a-Zaman Boys’ Elementary School lies about 100 meters away.

At the northern edge of the network sits another multi-story garage known as the 12 Farvardin Parking Complex, located near the intersection of Jomhouri Eslami Street and Danesh Street.

Both parking structures were inaugurated on December 4, 2017, as part of a paired urban development project attended by Tehran’s then-mayor Mohammad Najafi.

An entrance beneath a mosque, beside a school

Another entrance appears west of Pasteur Square, between Hor Metro Station and the square itself.

This access point lies beneath Tohid Mosque. Adjacent to the mosque is a building, and behind it stands Shahid Kadkhodaei Boys’ Elementary School.

Roughly 200 meters away, another possible entrance is located on the southwestern side of Pasteur Square, along a street that houses the AJA University of Command and Staff – the staff college of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.

Nearby are the Karimeh Ahl-e Beit dental clinic and medical clinic, as well as the 29 Farvardin Pharmacy, which is affiliated with Iran’s army.

Western entrance beside a football school

The westernmost identified entrance to the tunnel network appears to lie beneath a small building near an office responsible for issuing hunting weapon permits.

Immediately next to the building, sharing a wall, is a football training school, while dense residential complexes surround the area.

This location sits near the intersection of Sepah and Kamali streets, along Kashan Street, at the end of Fourth Street.

The tunnels also lie close to the Yas and Namjou residential complexes, which are affiliated with the Iranian army.