🔶 U.S. suspends sports competitions and university exchanges with Iran

According to CNN, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday, 2 Shahrivar (24 August) that it has suspended all professional and amateur sports activities, as well as university exchanges with Iran, until further notice.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington had previously also spilled over into the world of sports.

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Iran national football team faced extensive restrictions and was forced, at the last moment, to move its training camp location from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico. The team’s length of stay in U.S. territory both before and after the matches was also limited.

Steven Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, has warned that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) will impose sanctions on more than 60 entities, individuals, and ships worldwide that, according to him, help the Iranian government achieve illicit access to nuclear and missile technology, carry out cyber operations, and generate oil revenues.

All of these actions are being carried out within the framework of the “economic war” announced by the United States against Iran.