Nigeria, March 11 -- Iran has threatened to boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to the ongoing war with the United States, raising fresh uncertainty about the country's participation in football's biggest tournament.

Iran's Sports Minister, Ahmad Donyamali, said on Wednesday that the country cannot take part in the tournament after recent US and Israeli airstrikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, further escalating the conflict in the region, according to a Reuters report.

"Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup," Mr Donyamali said in an interview with Iranian state television.

He added that the ongoing war has made it difficult f...