Pushing back on U.S. President Donald Trumps comments, Iran's national soccer team says no one can exclude it from playing in the men's World Cup in the United States.Instead, a post on the team's official Instagram account Thursday suggested maybe the U.S. team should be excluded after Trump indicated that the host country couldn't guarantee the safety of the Iranian players.Trump wrote in a social media post Thursday that the Iranian team was welcome at the World Cup despite the ongoing war with Iran but that I really dont believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Iran is set to play all three of its World Cup group games in the U.S., which is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada.The regional war has put doubt on Irans ability to fulfil its World Cup entry, and sports minister Ahmad Donyamali told state TV this week the current circumstances meant it was not possible to play.But the Iran teams riposte on Instagram confirmed it still wants to participate, and pointed out that the tournament is run by FIFA not Trump or the U.S. The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA not any individual, country, the post said. Certainly, no one can exclude Irans national team from the World Cup; the only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of host yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.Iran is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26.Mixed messagesTrumps mixed messages on the subject include saying last week I really dont care if Iran plays, then assuring FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House on Tuesday that Irans team was welcome.Iran is a power in Asian soccer, ranked No. 20 in the world by FIFA and has qualified for its fourth straight World Cup edition.Irans soccer federation has planned to use a tournament base camp in Arizona, at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson.Before the World Cup, Iranian soccer officials are due to attend FIFA's annual congress on April 30 in Vancouver. The Iranian federation was unable to attend meetings in Atlanta last week to help teams prepare for the 48-nation tournament.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Max Verstappen endured a thoroughly miserable sprint qualifying session at the Chinese Grand Prix, finishing a remarkable 1.7 seconds adrift of George Russell, who secured pole position for Mercedes.The four-time world champion could manage only eighth place on the grid for Saturday's 19-lap sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit.Verstappen was unsparing in his assessment of proceedings. "The whole day has been a disaster, pace-wise," he stated.The Dutchman found himself outpaced not only by both Mercedes and Ferrari drivers, but also by the McLarens and Alpine's Pierre Gasly, underlining the severity of Red Bull's struggles.Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies took to the radio following the session's conclusion to offer his apologies to the beleaguered Verstappen."Sorry Max," Mekies said. "Tough one. A lot to learn. Thankfully, the weekend is still long. We need to learn from it, so let's try again."The team had already weathered an anxious moment during SQ2, where both Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar found themselves languishing in ninth and tenth positions respectively.Verstappen elaborated on the fundamental issues plaguing his RB22. "No grip, no balance, just losing massive amounts of time in the corners," he explained.Speaking to Viaplay, Mekies expanded upon the technical difficulties that had beset the team throughout the day."It's been very difficult here from the very first laps," he acknowledged. "We couldn't get the car to work in its proper windows."The team principal revealed that numerous minor problems had accumulated to undermine their performance aspirations."A lot of small issues which, added together, have taken us away from the performance we were hoping to have," Mekies noted.The deficit to their rivals had grown substantially since the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne's Albert Park just days earlier, leaving Red Bull searching for answers about what had gone awry.Hadjar's afternoon proved equally troublesome, with the 21-year-old Frenchman scraping into SQ3 by a mere 0.015 seconds ahead of Audi's Nico Hulkenberg before ultimately finishing tenth.The Red Bull newcomer ended nearly half a second behind his illustrious teammate and was beaten by Ollie Bearman in the Haas."We need a bit more of everything," Hadjar reflected. "More grip, a bit more power."The young driver expressed surprise at how the competitive picture had shifted since Melbourne. "I was expecting McLaren and Ferrari to be ahead, but I didn't expect the gap overall to increase," he admitted.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

In an interview, Trump acknowledged that the US is also helping Ukraine's government fight Russia.

Die Freiburgerinnen haben ihren Kampf um die Qualifikation fr die Champions League noch nicht aufgegeben - gegen Nrnberg treffen sie kurz vor der Pause.[mehr]

WASHINGTON, Pa. - As a week of sneak peeks at the Wild Things 2026 promo schedule comes to a close, the team caps the week with the announcement of on... - FL Washington Wild Things

Deux jours aprs la dfaite de Chelsea face au PSG en huitime de finale aller de la Ligue des champions, lentraneur des Blues Liam Rosenior est revenu sur le moment de tension entre Enzo Fernandez et son gardien Filip Jorgensen en fin de rencontre. Le coach des Blues comprend la colre de son milieu de terrain.

The premiership coach is a new man, looking younger and healthier after embracing a new role. His youngest child has finished school. So whats next?

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes this IPL season could be MS Dhoni's last for Chennai Super Kings. Pathan emphasized Dhoni's crucial role in team unity and grooming future leaders, even if his playing time is limited. He suggested CSK aims for a title win to give the legend a fitting farewell.

The global Protective Packaging Market is estimated at USD 32.4 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 51.2 billion by 2036, expanding at a CAGR of 4.70% during the forecast period. Growth is being driven not merely by shipment volume expansion but by structural re-engineering of packaging systems to withstand increasingly complex logistics networks....

The Noblest Motive has a detective at its center and a murder at its engine. However, the true structure of the novel is three women, survivors, each on the long journey of returning to themselves. The problem with crime fiction is well documented as to the women within it. They are killed to motivate detectives, threatened to raise stakes, rescued to provide closure. They exist, more often...