Geopolitical foes Iran and U.S. to clash again at World Cup

In 2020, the two countries were on the brink of war after the U.S. killed a top Iranian general and Tehran responded with retaliatory missile strikes at U.S. forces based in Iraq.

Despite the serious nature of the U.S.-Iran rivalry, Washington’s diplomatic Twitter sphere erupted with jokes after the World Cup draw held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Qatar on Friday.

Ali Vaez, Crisis Group’s Iran Project Director, joked that the U.S. government had set up a group to see what would happen in case of a drawn match.

“A U.S. interagency working group has been set up in advance of the Iran game to determine if their offense can be deterred, the scope of follow-on negotiations in the event of a draw, and whether exchanging jerseys violates sanctions,” Vaez wrote.