Iran Officials Exit Canada Before FIFA Congress Amid Immigration Dispute

Iranian football officials departed Canada before the start of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, following an incident at Toronto's international airport. Iranian media reported that the officials, including the federation's president who is a former member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, faced inappropriate behavior from immigration officers.

Canada's immigration agency stated that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are inadmissible to Canada. The officials had arrived with visas to attend the congress but returned on the next available flight, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency.

The FIFA Congress is set for this week in Vancouver, which will also host World Cup matches co-hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico this summer.

Donald Trump stated that a US naval blockade against Iranian ports could last months, contributing to a surge in oil prices. Brent crude oil futures rose 8 percent to $120 per barrel, the highest level since June 2022. Trump discussed efforts to alleviate global oil markets and maintain the blockade during a meeting with oil executives on Tuesday, according to a White House official.

US Central Command commander Brad Cooper reported that US forces redirected a 42nd commercial vessel attempting to violate the blockade. He noted that 41 tankers carrying 69 million barrels of oil, valued at over $6 billion, remain unsold due to the measures.

The blockade was imposed after Iranian forces closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that no oil wells have exploded under the blockade and that US measures have only driven up prices. He criticized US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for promoting the blockade theory.

Ghalibaf posted on X that oil prices could reach $140 per barrel next.

“Three days in, no well exploded. He stated that Iran has closed the strait from the Arabian Sea side and that US assumptions of a quick war have become a joke in military universities. An unnamed Iranian military official told Press TV that continued US obstinacy could lead to unprecedented action if Iran's conditions for ending the war are rejected. He emphasized that no deal will occur unless Iran agrees to no nuclear weapons. Trump also spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned of damaging consequences if the US and Israel resume war on Iran. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testified before the US House Armed Services Committee that the war has cost $25 billion so far, mostly on munitions, with a potential deadline for congressional approval approaching. He described a strike early in the war that hit an Iranian girls' school, killing about 170 people, mostly children, as remaining under investigation. Democratic Representative Pat Ryan criticized Hegseth over the deaths of six US soldiers in Kuwait from an Iranian drone attack and called for his resignation.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla reported that Israeli military boats surrounded 11 of its Gaza-bound aid vessels in international waters, with communications lost. Organizers described the action as illegal and called for governments to intervene. Israeli media claimed seven boats were intercepted, and flotilla press officer Gur Tsabar stated the assault occurred hundreds of miles from Israel, amounting to potential kidnapping.

“This is illegal under international law. ”

Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon killed more than a dozen people, including three women in Tayr Debba, despite a ceasefire. Israel's military chief Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir visited occupied southern Lebanon and promised to eliminate threats north of the Litani River.

Former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel told The Associated Press that the time is right for talks with Israel, noting a shift since his era when such discussions were taboo. Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri spoke by phone with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about regional developments.

Separately, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to discuss restoring navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

IAEA head Rafael Grossi told The Associated Press that most of Iran's highly enriched uranium is likely still at the Isfahan nuclear complex, bombarded last year. IAEA inspections ended during the 12-day war in June 2025, and the agency relies on satellite images.

The foundation for Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi reported her life is in imminent danger due to high blood pressure, rapid weight loss of 20kg, and chest pain. Imprisoned since February on charges including collusion against state security, she has been denied temporary release for medical care despite recommendations.

The United Arab Emirates' exit from OPEC was noted as testing the cartel's influence, with Al Jazeera reporting it as the largest producer to leave. This development casts doubt on OPEC's future after losing its fourth-largest member.