Iran bans teams from travelling to 'hostile' countries

Iran has reportedly banned its national and club sports teams from travelling to 'hostile' countries until further notice.

Iran's media reported on Thursday, citing the Sports Ministry, the move was due to concerns over the safety of its athletes.

"The presence of national and club teams in countries considered hostile and unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice," the Iranian ministry said.

The ministry added the Iranian football federation and clubs were required to notify the Asian Football Confederation so match venues could be relocated.

It cited club team Tractor FC playing a United Arab Emirates team in Saudi Arabia in its statement, but did not specify which venues needed to be relocated or which countries were deemed hostile.

Iran have qualified for this year's World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, although their participation in the soccer tournament has been under threat since the conflict between the Islamic Republic and the US and Israel began in late February.

US president Donald Trump said earlier this month while Iran's national team was welcome to play in the US, it might not be appropriate for their "life and safety."

Iran's football federation is in discussions with soccer's world governing body FIFA about moving their World Cup matches to Mexico from the US, federation President Mehdi Taj said last week.

The squad is currently in Turkey preparing for friendly internationals against Nigeria on Friday and Costa Rica on Tuesday.