Iranian FA (FFIRI) chief Mehdi Taj said that FIfa must guarantee that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is not insulted by the United States if the national team is to travel to the country to play at the World Cup in June.

An FFIRI delegation, including Taj, turned back from the Canadian border last week because of what they said was disrespectful treatment at the hands of immigration officials as they tried to attend the Fifa Congress in Vancouver.

Taj said the decision to return home had been their own choice but Canada’s immigration minister later confirmed to parliament that the FFIRI president’s visa had been cancelled while he was in the air because of his links to the IRGC.

Canada listed the IRGC, an elite military force in Iran, as a “terrorist entity” in 2024, five years after the US did the same.

Fifa Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom sent a letter expressing regret at the “inconvenience and disappointment” the Iranians had experienced in Canada and inviting FFIRI to Zurich on May 20 for a meeting about their World Cup preparations.

Taj told state broadcaster IRIB on Tuesday that he would be seeking assurances from the governing body about the treatment of the Iranian delegation in the US.

“We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system — especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” he said on the sidelines of a pro-government night rally in Tehran.

“This is something they must pay serious attention to. If there is such a guarantee and the responsibility is clearly assumed, then an incident like what happened in Canada will not happen again.”

‘Our host is Fifa’

The US, Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the June 11 to July 19 World Cup with Iran scheduled to play two group games in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in the tournament but no one with ties to the IRGC would be admitted to the country.

Taj, who served as a high-ranking official with the IRGC in Isfahan Province before moving into soccer administration, said anything short of cast-iron guarantees could result in the Iranian delegation turning back at the US border.

“We are going to the World Cup, for which we qualified, and our host is FIFA — not Mr Trump or America,” he added.

“If they accept hosting us, then they must also accept that they must not insult our military institutions in any way.

“Because if they do, then naturally it could create the same kind of situation that happened in Canada, where there was a possibility we might have to return.

“So there must be this kind of guarantee so that we can go with peace of mind.”

Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been in question since the US and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February.

With Iranian top-flight football suspended, the home-based players have been in a training camp in Tehran preparing for the tournament.

Taj said the FFIRI were hoping to set up at least one friendly with a “very good team” in neighbouring Turkiye, where Iran played matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica in late March.

WWE star Chelsea Green revealed Monday she underwent a “heart procedure” as she shared photos of herself and husband Matt Cardona from her hospital bed.

Green said doctors caught her SVT. The Mayo Clinic says that SVT, or supraventricular tachycardia, is a “type of irregular heartbeat, also called an arrhythmia. It’s a very fast or erratic heartbeat that affects the heart’s upper chambers.”

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The two-time WWE women’s United States champion said she had been dealing with the issue for 10 years.

“After 10 years, doctors finally caught my SVT and I was able to get a heart procedure done! 3 hours later and I’m on the mend,” she wrote on Instagram.

On Tuesday, she added on X: “My latest episode during WrestleMania pushed my resting heart rate to 228 for almost 15 minutes. Yesterday, Dr. Girgis spent 3 hours working on me… and I had to be awake for the last hour of the procedure!! “

Chelsea Green waves during SmackDown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 28, 2025. (Michael Owens/WWE)

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She said the procedure was minimally invasive and expected to be back to work soon.

Green has had her share of bad luck over the last few months. She suffered an ankle injury that has kept her sidelined for several months, keeping her off the WrestleMania 42 card.

In February, Green and Ethan Page dropped the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship to Mr. Iguana and Lola Vice.

Chelsea Green looks on during SmackDown at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)

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Pro wrestling fans are eagerly awaiting her return to the ring.

Pakistan’s mystery spinner Usman Tariq has been roped in by Warwickshire Bears for the Vitality T20 Blast, set to commence on May 22, the club announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, the club said that the 30-year-old spinner had offers to play franchise cricket in various leagues across the globe, but it won the competition to acquire his services.

As a result, Tariq will spend most of England’s summer season at the Edgbaston Stadium as his maiden Vitality Blast stint will be followed by The Hundred campaign with the Birmingham Phoenix, who signed him for £140,000 at the players’ draft in March.

Reacting to his allegiance with the Bears, Tariq termed it a great feeling before expressing his eagerness to bring energy to the squad, which he was impatiently looking forward to joining.

“I am very excited to bring more fun and energy to the Bears. I can’t wait to get involved with the squad, and it’s a great feeling to be part of this team. I hope to see as many people as possible at Edgbaston this summer,” Tariq was quoted as saying by the Bears.

Bears’ Performance Director James Thomas labelled Tariq “exactly the type of high-impact player” they were looking to bring in and thus expressed profound delight over securing his services for the upcoming tournament.

“Usman is exactly the type of high-impact player we want to bring into Warwickshire, so we’re delighted to get this deal completed,” Thomas said in a statement.

“His skill set and tactical awareness make him a genuine threat in modern white-ball cricket, but it’s his hunger to compete and continually improve that really stands out.

“What makes this signing particularly exciting is the alignment between Warwickshire and Birmingham Phoenix. Bringing Usman into the Bears for the Vitality Blast, before transitioning into The Hundred with the Phoenix, reflects the strength of our integrated model across club and franchise.

“It allows us to create continuity for the player, maximise performance impact across both competitions, and build stronger connections with our supporters in Birmingham and Warwickshire. Ultimately, this is about strengthening the team, the franchise, and our presence in the area, and we believe Usman can play a key role in that this summer.”