Iran are one of 12 nations being placed on a United States travel ban as of Monday, but their soccer team will be allowed to compete in the World Cup next summer.
Trump resurrected the ban from his first term on Wednesday night, signing a document preventing nationals from a dozen countries from entering the US.
‘I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,’ Trump said in his proclamation.
But the White House has confirmed to Daily Mail that exemptions are in place for ‘athletes or members of athletic teams, including coaches and support staff, and athletes traveling for the World Cup, Olympics or other sporting events’.
Iran qualified for next summer’s tournament in March this year – one of only seven teams to officially make it as it stands.
The United States is hosting the 48-team competition next summer alongside Canada and Mexico, while Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Olympic Games which will fall under Trump’s second term as President.
The World Cup runs from June 11 until July 19 next year, with the final held at MetLife Stadium, just outside of New York.
The other countires included in Trump’s ban are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The list results from a Jan. 20 executive order Trump issued requiring the departments of State and Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to compile a report on ‘hostile attitudes’ toward the U.S. and whether entry from certain countries represented a national security risk.
In addition to the ban, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, there will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
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