March 27, 2026
Iran bans sports teams from traveling to ‘hostile’ countries
Iran has barred its national and club teams from competing in countries it calls “hostile,” citing security concerns.
The move comes as Iran’s Tractor FC is due to face an Emirati club in Saudi Arabia in the AFC Champions League.
“The presence of national and club teams in countries that are considered hostile and are unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice,” Iran’s Ministry of Sport said.
The Iranian ministry added that the soccer federation and clubs “will be responsible for notifying the Asian Football Confederation of this matter in order to relocate the games.”
The ban also casts doubt on Iran’s 2026 FIFA World Cup games scheduled in the United States. Iran has asked FIFA to move the games but the football body refused.
Meanwhile, tensions remain after members of Iran’s women’s team sought asylum in Australia. Two players are still there; others have returned to Iran.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BDcW
March 27, 2026
WATCH — Does the Iran war put your internet at risk?
Why data hubs and undersea cables in the conflict zone affect users far beyond the Middle East.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BDcE
March 27, 2026
Report: Pentagon weighs sending 10,000 more troops
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was considering sending as many as 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East.
The report added to concerns that the war could escalate into a broader ground conflict.
The force would likely include infantry and armored vehicles, the newspaper reported, citing US Department of Defense officials.
The new troops would be added to the roughly 5,000 Marines and the thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division who have already been ordered to the region.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BDcK
March 27, 2026
Trump pushes back Hormuz deadline
US President Donald Trump says he will extend a pause on attacks against Iran’s energy facilities into April, insisting that talks with Tehran are, quote, “going very well.”
The announcement came after Trump first threatened to increase pressure on Iran if it failed to agree to a deal. He later posted that the pause would last 10 days, until April 6.
Tehran, however, maintains it is not engaged in talks with Washington.
Despite Trump’s upbeat tone, Iran has continued retaliatory strikes targeting Israeli and US bases, as well as Gulf states. It has also disrupted fuel exports by effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor that carries about 20% of global oil and LNG shipments.
Meanwhile, Wall Street suffered its worst day since the conflict began.
The S&P 500 fell 1.7%, the Dow dropped 1%, and the Nasdaq sank 2.4%, with the S&P on track for its fifth straight weekly loss, its longest slide in nearly four years.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BDbt
Welcome to our coverage
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday that they launched missile and drone strikes a day earlier on targets in Israel, as well as on Gulf military sites used by US forces.
Here’s a wrap of the biggest headlines from Thursday:
- US President Donald Trump said that talks aimed at ending the war were ‘going very well’
- Trump pushed back his pause on strikes to Iranian energy facilities for another 10 days
- Iran has continued to publicly insist that it is not negotiating with the White House
- CENTCOM chief has said that an Iranian naval commander was killed in an Israeli strike
- Trump has slammed NATO allies while NATO chief Rutte defended the alliance
If you missed out on any of Thursday’s coverage of the Iran war, you can catch up on it here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BDd2
