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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Thursday that NATO allies were close to a deal on spending ahead of a summit later this month, in a bid to satisfy US President Donald Trump’s demand that it reach five percent of GDP.Trump is pressuring alliance members to announce a massive boost in the target for their military budgets at the June 24-25 summit in the Netherlands.”Countries in there are well exceeding two percent and we think very close, almost near consensus, on a five percent commitment for NATO in The Hague later this month,” Hegseth said after meeting his NATO counterparts in Brussels. NATO chief Mark Rutte has put forward a compromise agreement of 3.5 percent of GDP on core military spending by 2032, and 1.5 percent on broader security-related areas such as infrastructure.”This alliance, we believe, in a matter of weeks, will be committing to five percent — 3.5 percent in hard military and 1.5 percent in infrastructure and defence-related activities,” Hegseth said. “That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up.”The threat from Russia after more than three years of war in Ukraine and worries about US commitment to Europe’s security under Trump are driving up military budgets in Europe.Multiple diplomats say Rutte appears on track to secure the deal for the summit in The Hague, though a few allies are still hesitant about committing to such levels of spending.”I have total confidence we will get there,” Rutte said after the meeting. “Look at the Russian threat. The Chinese build-up. We live in a different world. We live in a more dangerous world.”Most vocal in its reluctance has been Spain, which is only set to reach NATO’s current target of two percent of GDP by the end of this year.But Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Madrid would not veto a deal, even if it did not agree with setting a “fixed percentage” figure. Diplomats say other countries are also haggling over making the timeline longer and dropping a demand for core defence spending to increase by 0.2 percentage points each year. The deal appears an acceptable compromise to most, which will allow Trump to claim that he has achieved his headline demand, while in reality setting the bar lower for struggling European allies.Currently only a handful of NATO countries most worried about Russia, such as Poland and the Baltics, are on target to spend five percent on defence. – ‘America can’t be everywhere’ -In a connected move, NATO ministers signed off at their meeting on new capability targets for the weaponry needed to deter Russia.German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius estimated the new requirements meant Berlin would need to add “around 50,000 to 60,000″ more soldiers to its army. His Dutch counterpart Ruben Brekelmans said reaching the level requested would cost the Netherlands at least 3.5 percent of GDP.”The new defence investment plan, of course, is rooted in what we need in terms of the hard capabilities,” Rutte said.Hegseth, a former TV presenter, rocked NATO on his last visit in February with a fiery warning that Washington could look to scale back its forces in Europe to focus on the threat from China.This time around Hegseth said he did not want to “get ahead” of any decisions from Trump as the United States conducts a review of its force deployments worldwide. “We’re going to make sure we shift properly to the Indo-Pacific and re-establish deterrence there, and then we’re going to increase burden-sharing across the world,” he said.”America can’t be everywhere all the time, nor should we be.”- Ukraine question -While US officials are focused on getting Trump a win on defence spending in The Hague, they have sidestepped talks on supporting Ukraine in its fight with Russia. Hegseth underscored the United States’ disengagement with Kyiv by skipping a meeting of Ukraine’s backers in Brussels on Wednesday, and is set to miss a second sit-down with Ukraine officials Thursday. Kyiv’s European allies are pressing to overcome US reluctance and invited Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Hague summit as a sign of support. So far, NATO has said only that Ukraine will be represented at the gathering, without confirming that Zelensky will be in attendance. 

The US Supreme Court on Thursday revived the lawsuit of a heterosexual Ohio woman who claims she was the victim of reverse discrimination because she was passed over twice for jobs for candidates who were gay.In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the top court ruled that members of a majority group cannot be held to a higher evidentiary standard than minorities in pursuing a discrimination claim.”The standard for proving disparate treatment… does not vary based on whether or not the plaintiff is a member of a majority group,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who authored the opinion.The case comes at a time when President Donald Trump and a number of major corporations are rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion programs intended to combat systemic inequalities faced by minorities.It could potentially lead to a surge in the filing of “reverse discrimination” lawsuits around the country.Marlean Ames, an employee of the Ohio Department of Youth Services, had asked the court to revive a lawsuit she filed under the 1964 Civil Rights Act which bars discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.Ames, a heterosexual white woman, was appealing lower court decisions that rejected her discrimination suit on the basis that members of majority groups must meet a higher bar for proving workplace bias than minorities.In its ruling, the US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said Ames had not established “background circumstances” showing that the Ohio state agency is “that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.”The requirement that she present “background circumstances” is unconstitutional and being unfairly applied only to members of majority groups bringing job discrimination cases, Ames said.The six conservative and three liberal justices on the Supreme Court agreed, sending Ames’s case back down to lower courts for renewed consideration.America First Legal Foundation, a group founded by Stephen Miller, who is now the White House deputy chief of staff, filed a brief with the court in support of Ames.

Jurors prepared to consider a verdict in Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s rape and sexual assault retrial Thursday after hearing from three women who allege the cinema power broker preyed on them.A New York state appeals court had thrown out Weinstein’s 2020 convictions after irregularities in the presentation of witnesses at his original trial, forcing two victims of his alleged abuse to testify a second time.Judge Curtis Farber began giving instructions Thursday to jurors, one of whom had to be swapped out for an alternate after falling ill, before they retire to consider their verdict.After six weeks of deliberations, the jury must decide whether Weinstein, accused by dozens of women of being a sexual predator, is guilty of sexual assaults in 2006 on former production assistant Miriam Haley and former model Kaja Sokola, and of rape in 2013 of aspiring actress Jessica Mann.”He raped three women, they all said no,” said prosecutor Nicole Blumberg Wednesday as she recounted the evidence of the three alleged victims of Weinstein who testified at this trial.The Hollywood figure had “all the power” and “all the control” over the alleged victims which is why jurors should find him guilty, she said.”The defendant thought the rules did not apply to him, now it is the time to let him know that the rules apply to him.”There is no reasonable doubt; tell the defendant what he already knows — that he is guilty of the three crimes.”Weinstein’s defense attorney insisted the sexual encounters were consensual, pointing to a “casting couch” dynamic between the movie mogul and the women.”We don’t want to police the bedroom” — except in cases of rape, Blumberg fired back.Weinstein, the producer of box-office hits “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” has never acknowledged wrongdoing.The cinema magnate, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, has been on trial again since April 15 in a scruffy Manhattan courtroom.He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted in California of raping and assaulting a European actress more than a decade ago.Two of the accusers in this case — Haley and Mann — testified at Weinstein’s original trial.Their accounts helped galvanize the #MeToo movement nearly a decade ago, but the case is being re-prosecuted at a new trial in New York.His 2020 convictions on charges relating to Haley and Mann, and his 23-year prison term, were overturned last year by the New York Court of Appeals.The tribunal ruled that the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was improper.

The US trade deficit more than halved in April as President Donald Trump’s global tariffs reversed an import surge that preceded the new duties.The White House is likely to frame the smaller deficit as a win, noting a report of its expected boost to GDP growth, although analysts warn that businesses had likely paused further imports while waiting for countries to strike deals.The world’s biggest economy logged a trade gap of $61.6 billion in the same month that Trump unveiled 10 percent levies on almost all trading partners. This was down by 55.5 percent from March, the largest decrease on record, said the Commerce Department.In March, the overall US trade deficit widened to $138.3 billion as businesses sought to get ahead of Trump’s promised duties.But imports slumped by 16.3 percent in April to $351 billion as the blanket tariffs on US allies and competitors alike kicked in.Goods imports in particular fell by the most on record as well.Apart from the 10 percent levy, Trump also announced -– before swiftly pausing –- higher rates on dozens of economies including the European Union and Japan. This halt, which allowed room for trade negotiations to take place, is due to expire in early July.Goods from China were the biggest target of Trump’s during the month as the world’s two biggest economies engaged in a tit-for-tat escalation that took both sides’ levies on each other’s products to three digits.This brought many shipments from China to a halt before the countries reached a temporary deal to de-escalate the situation.For now, all eyes are on talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, amid hopes that both leaders can help bring about a longer-lasting truce.But the state of a trade deal between both countries remains uncertain as Trump last week accused Beijing of violating the terms of their temporary agreement — which China denied.After a phone call with Xi on Thursday, Trump said there had been a “very positive conclusion for both countries.”Both April exports and imports involving China were the lowest since early 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Commerce Department.- ‘Hit pause’ -“The economy has essentially hit pause on discretionary imports and is now working off inventories as businesses and consumers delay spending and wait for clarity on tariffs,” said Nationwide financial markets economist Oren Klachkin.He added in a statement that the sharp drop in goods imports, stronger goods exports and larger services surplus narrowed the total April trade gap by the most on record.With imports plummeting, GDP growth in the second quarter is set to rebound, said Oxford Economics senior US economist Matthew Martin.But he warned in a note that headline growth figures “will overstate the true health of the economy.”Overall in April, US imports dropped by 16.3 percent to $351 billion on a retreat in goods shipments.In particular, imports of consumer goods fell by $33 billion, data showed, with pullbacks in pharmaceuticals and cell phones.US exports ticked up by 3 percent to $289.4 billion, helped by goods exports such as those of industrial supplies.But US exports of autos and parts dropped by $3.3 billion.Besides wide-ranging tariffs targeting different countries, businesses have also been contending with sector-specific duties that Trump has rolled out in recent months.In March and April, the president slapped tariffs on imports of steel, aluminum and automobiles and he has since doubled the duties on both metals this month.The overall US deficit was the smallest since 2023, according to government figures.

The US trade deficit more than halved in April, government data showed Thursday, pulling back from a record on a plunge in imports as President Donald Trump’s global tariffs kicked in.While the White House has framed the tariffs as a means to address perceived trade imbalances, it is unclear if the narrowing is sustainable as analysts believe businesses had merely paused further imports while waiting for countries to strike deals.The world’s biggest economy logged a trade gap of $61.6 billion in the same month that Trump unveiled 10 percent levies on almost all trading partners. This was down by 55.5 percent from March, said the Commerce Department.In March, the overall US trade deficit widened to a new record of $138.3 billion as businesses sought to get ahead of Trump’s promised duties.But imports slumped by 16.3 percent in April to $351 billion as the blanket tariffs on US allies and competitors alike kicked in.Apart from the 10 percent levy, Trump also announced -– before swiftly pausing –- higher rates on dozens of economies including the European Union and Japan. This halt, which allowed room for trade negotiations to take place, is due to expire in early July.Goods from China were the biggest target of Trump’s during the month as the world’s two biggest economies engaged in a tit-for-tat escalation that took both sides’ levies on each other’s products to three digits.This brought many shipments from China to a halt before the countries reached a temporary deal to de-escalate the situation.For now, all eyes are on a phone call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, amid hopes that both leaders can help bring about a longer-lasting truce.But the state of a trade deal between both countries remains uncertain as Trump last week accused Beijing of violating the terms of their temporary agreement — which China denied.Both April exports and imports involving China were the lowest since early 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Commerce Department.- ‘Hit pause’ -“The economy has essentially hit pause on discretionary imports and is now working off inventories as businesses and consumers delay spending and wait for clarity on tariffs,” said Nationwide financial markets economist Oren Klachkin.He added in a statement that the sharp drop in goods imports, stronger goods exports and larger services surplus narrowed the total April trade gap by the most on record.Overall in April, US imports dropped by 16.3 percent to $351 billion on a retreat in goods shipments.In particular, imports of consumer goods fell by $33 billion, data showed, with pullbacks in pharmaceuticals and cell phones.US exports ticked up by 3 percent to $289.4 billion, helped by goods exports such as those of industrial supplies.But US exports of autos and parts dropped by $3.3 billion.Besides wide-ranging tariffs targeting different countries, businesses have also been contending with sector-specific duties that Trump has rolled out in recent months.In March and April, the president slapped tariffs on imports of steel, aluminum and automobiles and he has since doubled the duties on both metals this month.The overall US deficit was the smallest since 2023, according to government figures.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meets Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday, hoping to avoid one of the US president’s infamous ambushes amid discord over Ukraine and tariffs.A month into his job, the conservative Merz, 69, will try to build a rapport with the mercurial Trump as he seeks to maintain good ties with the country he considers post-war Germany’s “indispensable” ally.He will offer pledges to sharply increase Germany’s NATO spending and look for common ground on confronting Vladimir Putin on Ukraine.On Trump’s threat to hammer the European Union with sharply higher tariffs, Merz, leader of the bloc’s biggest economy, has argued that it must be self-confident in its negotiations with Washington.But first Merz must brave the televised rite of passage of an Oval Office meeting with Trump — whose administration has taken an aggressive stance towards Germany and even backed the far-right there.Trump, 78, has delivered a series of public dressing downs to foreign leaders in the heart of the White House, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa.The New York Times reported that Trump was set to confront Merz over free speech issues in Germany — a bugbear the administration has repeatedly brought up with European leaders despite its own record.- ‘Calmness and joy’ -Merz told reporters in Washington ahead of the meeting that if Trump brings up German domestic politics “I will state my opinion very clearly if necessary.”Despite the tensions, Merz said he was “looking forward” to his first face-to-face meeting with Trump.”Our alliance with America was, is, and remains of paramount importance for the security, freedom, and prosperity of Europe,” he posted on X.The German chancellor is believed to have studied videos of previous Oval Office ambushes and learned how to stay calm and let Trump talk.Merz is approaching his Trump meeting “with great calmness and joy,” his spokesman Stefan Kornelius said, pointing to their “very good relationship” so far.The two leaders — both with business backgrounds and keen golf players — are on first-name terms after several phone calls, Kornelius said, and Merz now has Trump’s cellphone number on speed dial.But whatever the personal chemistry. the issues are potentially explosive. Trump has lashed out at Germany, and particularly its car industry, among the European nations he accuses of trying to “screw” the United States.The US president launched his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April and the EU faces levies of 50 percent.- Far-right support -On the Ukraine war, where Germany strongly backs Kyiv, Merz will hope to convince Trump to heighten pressure on Putin through new sanctions to persuade him to agree to a ceasefire. Trump has expressed frustration with Putin, but said sanctions could harm the chances of a truce.Merz’s visit also comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada on June 15-17 and a NATO meeting in The Hague at the end of the month.Merz has said Germany is willing to follow a plan to raise defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP over coming years, with another 1.5 percent dedicated to security-related infrastructure.But a major potential flashpoint is the vocal support Trump and some in his administration have given to the far-right and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which came second in February elections.US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former Trump adviser Elon Musk have all weighed in in support of the AfD, which in Germany is shunned by all other political parties.When Germany’s domestic intelligence service recently designated the AfD a “right-wing extremist” group, Rubio denounced the step as “tyranny in disguise.”Merz at the time told the US government to “largely stay out of” German domestic politics.burs-dk/bgs

The Trump administration intends to pull some $4 billion in federal funding from California’s long-delayed high-speed rail project, transportation officials say.The announcement Wednesday by the Department of Transportation follows a report by federal railroad regulators, which concluded the project to link the state’s megacities Los Angeles and San Francisco was rife with “missed deadlines, budget shortfalls, and overrepresentation of projected ridership.””I promised the American people we would be good stewards of their hard-earned tax dollars,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.”This report exposes a cold, hard truth: CHSRA has no viable path to complete this project on time or on budget,” he added, referring to California High-Speed Rail Authority.Duffy said California’s rail agency has 37 days to respond to the findings of the review before the two grants worth some $4 billion would be terminated.CHSRA said it strongly disagreed with Federal Railroad Administration’s conclusions, adding they “do not reflect the substantial progress made.””We remain committed to completing the nation’s first true HSR system & will fully address + correct the record in our response to the FRA’s notice,” the rail authority said.California’s Democratic lawmakers also strongly denounced the decision by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration.”For the millions of Californians left to pick up the tab for Trump’s reckless trade wars and rising costs of living, today’s announcement is devastating,” Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff said in a statement.Despite being the world’s largest economy, the United States does not have high-speed rail lines and the California project has been 15 years in the making.Another high-speed rail line is planned to open in 2028 in the neighboring state of Nevada, connecting Las Vegas to Los Angeles in time for the Summer Olympics hosted by the United States.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Thursday that NATO allies were close to agreeing a deal on spending ahead of a summit later this month, in a bid to satisfy US President Donald Trump’s demand that it reach five percent of GDP.Trump is pressuring alliance members to announce a massive boost in the target for their military budgets at the June 24-25 summit in the Netherlands.”Countries in there are well exceeding two percent and we think very close, almost near consensus, on a five percent commitment for NATO in The Hague later this month,” Hegseth said after meeting his NATO counterparts in Brussels. NATO chief Mark Rutte has put forward a compromise agreement of 3.5 percent of GDP on core military spending by 2032, and 1.5 percent on broader security-related areas such as infrastructure.”This alliance, we believe, in a matter of weeks, will be committing to five percent — 3.5 percent in hard military and 1.5 percent in infrastructure and defence-related activities,” Hegseth said. “That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up.”The threat from Russia after more than three years of war in Ukraine and worries about US commitment to Europe’s security under Trump are driving up military budgets in Europe.Several diplomats said Rutte appeared on track to secure the deal for the summit in The Hague, though a few allies are still hesitant about committing to such levels of spending.Most vocal in its reluctance has been Spain, which is only set to reach NATO’s current target of two percent of GDP by the end of this year.But Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Madrid would not veto a deal, even if it did not agree with setting a “fixed percentage” figure. Diplomats say other countries are also haggling over making the timeline longer and dropping a demand for core defence spending to increase by 0.2 percentage points each year. The deal appears an acceptable compromise to most, which will allow Trump to claim that he has achieved his headline demand, while in reality setting the bar lower for struggling European allies.Currently only a handful of NATO countries most worried about Russia, such as Poland and the Baltics, are on target to spend five percent on defence. – ‘America can’t be everywhere’ -In a connected move, NATO ministers signed off at their meeting on new capability targets for the weaponry needed to deter Russia.German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius estimated the new requirements meant Berlin would need to add “around 50,000 to 60,000″ more soldiers to its army. His Dutch counterpart Ruben Brekelmans said reaching the level requested would cost the Netherlands at least 3.5 percent of GDP.”The new defence investment plan, of course, is rooted in what we need in terms of the hard capabilities,” Rutte said.Hegseth, a former TV presenter, rocked NATO on his last visit in February with a fiery warning that Washington could look to scale back its forces in Europe to focus on the threat from China.This time around Hegseth said he did not want to “get ahead” of any decisions from Trump as the United States conducts a review of its force deployments worldwide. “We’re going to make sure we shift properly to the Indo-Pacific and re-establish deterrence there, and then we’re going to increase burden-sharing across the world,” he said.”America can’t be everywhere all the time, nor should we be.”- Ukraine question -While US officials are focused on getting Trump a win on defence spending in The Hague, they have sidestepped talks on supporting Ukraine in its fight with Russia. Hegseth underscored the United States disengagement with Kyiv by skipping a meeting of Ukraine’s backers in Brussels on Wednesday, and is set to miss a second sit-down with Ukraine officials Thursday. Kyiv’s European allies are pressing to overcome US reluctance and invited Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Hague summit as a sign of support. So far, NATO has said only that Ukraine will be represented at the gathering, without confirming that Zelensky will be in attendance. 

President Donald Trump ramped up his campaign against top US universities Wednesday, banning visas for all foreign students coming to attend Harvard and threatening to strip Columbia of its academic accreditation.Trump is seeking to bring the universities to heel with claims their international students pose a national security threat, and that they ignored anti-Semitism on campus and perpetuate liberal bias.A proclamation issued by the White House late Wednesday declared that the entrance of international students to begin a course at Harvard would be “suspended and limited” for six months and that existing overseas enrollees could have their visas terminated.”Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” the order said.Karl Molden, a Harvard government and classics student from Austria, said: “I’m trembling. This is outrageous.””He is abusing his executive power to harm Harvard as much as he can,” Molden told AFP.”My god!” said another international student at Harvard, who declined to be identified for fear of retribution. “This is such a disgrace.”China’s foreign ministry vowed on Thursday to “resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its overseas students.””China has always opposed the politicization of educational cooperation,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, adding that the measure would “harm America’s image and international credibility.”US Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised last week to “aggressively revoke visas” for Chinese students, a move condemned by Beijing.- ‘Retaliatory’ -Wednesday’s announcement followed the Trump administration’s earlier efforts to terminate Harvard’s right to enroll and host foreign students were stalled by a judge.The government already cut around $3.2 billion of federal grants and contracts benefiting Harvard and pledged to exclude the Cambridge, Massachusetts, institution from any future federal funding.Harvard has been at the forefront of Trump’s campaign against top universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum, staffing, student recruitment and “viewpoint diversity.” Trump has also singled out international students at Harvard, who accounted for 27 percent of total enrollment in the 2024-2025 academic year and are a major source of income.”This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” a university spokesman said.”Harvard will continue to protect its international students.” Trump’s education secretary had also threatened on Wednesday to strip Columbia University of its accreditation.The Republican has targeted the New York Ivy League institution for allegedly ignoring harassment of Jewish students, throwing all of its federal funding into doubt.Unlike Harvard, several top institutions — including Columbia — have already bowed to far-reaching demands from the Trump administration, which claims that the educational elite is too left-wing.- ‘Combating anti-Semitism’ -Wednesday’s official action suggested it was not enough for Trump.”Columbia University looked the other way as Jewish students faced harassment,” US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said on social media platform X.She accused the school of breaking rules prohibiting recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin.”After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University’s leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus,” McMahon said in a statement.”This is not only immoral, but also unlawful.”The US Education Department said in the statement its civil rights office had contacted Columbia’s accreditation body about the alleged violation.Withdrawing Columbia’s accreditation would see it lose access to all federal funding, a very significant proportion of the university’s income.Students would also not be able to receive federal grants and tuition loans.Critics accuse the Trump administration of using allegations of anti-Semitism to target educational elites and bring universities to their knees.The administration has already put $400 million of Columbia’s funding under review, prompting the university to announce in March a package of concessions to the government around defining anti-Semitism, policing protests and conducting oversight for specific academic departments.A Columbia spokesperson said after Wednesday’s announcement the university was “aware of the concerns” raised by the government.”We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it,” the spokesperson said.

A year out from kick-off, Iranian football fans are watching their World Cup dream slip away after a US travel ban barred them from entering the land of “Great Satan” to cheer on their team.The 2026 tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, but most matches, including the final, are scheduled to be played on American soil.Many in Iran had clung to hopes of cheering from the stands until Wednesday when US President Donald Trump rolled out a new travel ban on 12 countries including Iran, which will take effect from Monday. “My friends and I have been waiting for years to watch Team Melli (a nickname for the national team) play in a World Cup on US soil, and when they qualified, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Sohrab Naderi, a real estate agent in Tehran, told AFP.”Now with the new travel ban, that dream is shattered because of politics that we don’t care about and have no control over,” said the 46-year-old who attended the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which saw the US side defeat Iran 1-0 in the group stage.The prospect of Iran competing in a US-hosted tournament comes against the backdrop of a decades-long enmity, with diplomatic ties broken since the 1979 Islamic revolution.The two sides are currently engaged in high-stakes talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, with the United States threatening military action if no deal can be reached.- ‘Degrading to all Iranians’ -Trump said the new travel ban was prompted by a makeshift flamethrower attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that US authorities blamed on a man they said was in the country illegally.The ban will not apply to athletes competing in either the 2026 World Cup or the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the order said. Nonetheless, supporters who had dreamed of crossing the Atlantic to cheer on their team will no longer be able to make the trip.”Every Iranian has the right to support their team, just as much as any other country, whether the game is in America or in any other country,” said Hasti Teymourpour, a 16-year-old football fan.Since his return to office in January, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Iran and vowed that “something bad” would happen unless the Iranians “move quickly” towards a nuclear deal.Naderi, who called the ban “inhumane” and “degrading to all Iranians”, still hopes the Iran-US nuclear talks will yield a deal that might persuade Trump to reconsider. The outcome of the US-Iran talks that began in April remains unclear, and many fans worry that even if they result in a deal, it may be too late for them.Some Iranians have refused to give up hope, however, seeing in the World Cup an opportunity to thaw relations.”Sports diplomacy can act as a strong catalyst and bring the efforts of political diplomats to fruition sooner,” said political commentator Mohammad Reza Manafi.It could be “a great opportunity to help advance diplomacy between the two countries”.- Friendly? -In a memorable 1998 World Cup clash, Iranian players handed flowers to their American adversaries and posed together for photos — a rare public gesture of goodwill between the nations.Iran won 2–1, a victory celebrated in Tehran as a source of both sporting and political pride.With the 2026 draw expected in December, it remains unclear whether Iran and the United States will face off again, but anticipation is building.”The two countries are not hostile to each other, this political discussion is for the governments,” said 44-year-old day labourer Siamak Kalantari.Another fan, Mahdieh Olfati, said: “If we face the US again, we’ll definitely win.””Ours are real players,” the 18-year-old added.Manafi, the commentator, said a friendly before the tournament, possibly hosted by a third country, could help ease tensions.Such a game, he said, could help “achieve what politicians from both sides have not managed to do for years”.