Iran sports minister Ahmad Donyamali says the country’s men’s team won’t play at the upcoming World Cup in the US because of the ongoing war.

The US and Israel have been conducting air strikes on Iran since February 28, during which Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed.

“Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup,” Donyamali said in a television interview on Wednesday (local time).

“In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, two wars were forced upon us within eight or nine months, and several thousand of our people were killed. Therefore, we definitely have no possibility of participating in this way.”

Iran qualified for the June 11-July 18 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada. It is due to play three group matches against Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand in US cities.

Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj has also hinted at a boycott after events around the women’s team at the Asian Cup in Australia.

Six players decided to stay in Australia after being given humanitarian visas by the government there. A seventh player was also initially given a visa before changing her mind and opting to return to Iran.

“In Australia, people are able to change their mind, people are able to travel,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told parliament on Wednesday.

“We respect the context in which she has made that decision.”

The remaining women who stayed in Australia had to be moved to a safer location, he said, because the player gave away their location when contacting the embassy.

US President Donald Trump had said America would offer humanitarian visas to the women if Australia did not.

“What sensible person would send their national team to the United States if the World Cup were to be as political as it was in Australia?” Taj said.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Instagram that he was told by Trump on Tuesday that Iran’s team was, “of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States” despite the war.

Fans from Iran were already banned from entering the US in the first iteration of a travel ban announced by the Trump administration.

“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever,” Infantino said, adding that he thanked Trump “for his support”.

It is the first time that Infantino, who in December created a FIFA Peace Prize and awarded it to Trump, has acknowledged the war in the Middle East.

Earlier this week, FIFA World Cup chief operating officer Heimo Schirgi said the tournament was “too big” to be postponed because of global turmoil caused by the US and Israeli war against Iran.

He said FIFA continued to closely monitor the Iran war.

“We basically take it day by day, and at some stage we will have a resolution,” Schirgi said.

“The World Cup will go on obviously, right? The World Cup is too big and we hope that everyone can participate that has qualified.”

If Iran does withdraw, it will be the first time a nation has walked away from the World Cup since France and India pulled out of the 1950 finals in Brazil.

-with AAP