DONALD TRUMP has said he does not care if Iran participate in this summer’s World Cup.

The United States and Israel began attacking targets in the country on Saturday, with the conflict in the Middle East since spreading to the wider region.

Iran have qualified for the finals of the World Cup, which will take place in the US, Canada and Mexico in June and July, for a fourth consecutive edition but their presence is now potentially in doubt.

US President Trump told Politico: “I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

Iran are scheduled to play all three of their group games in the US, with their opener coming against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.

Meanwhile, a tennis tournament being played in the United Arab Emirates that saw players flee the court on Tuesday has now been cancelled.

The Fujairah Open, a second-tier event on the ATP Challenger Tour, had continued to take place despite drone strikes from Iran on the country but play was halted after an oil terminal nearby was hit.

Posting on social media, Ukrainian Vladyslav Orlov said he had heard fighter jets overhead during his qualifying match and described the situation as “not very safe.”

The ATP subsequently decided to cancel the tournament and a second due to be held at the same venue next week.

An initial communication sent to affected players indicated they could secure places on a charter flight for €5,000 (approximately £4,350), but the governing body has now revealed it will pay for travel out of the country.

A statement seen by PA said: “A charter flight has been arranged and fully funded by the ATP to assist with departures from the region at no cost to players.

“The safety and wellbeing of our players, support teams and staff members remains our highest priority, and we continue to remain in close contact with those affected.”

British players Zach Stephens and Max Basing were among those in the draw while Finn Bass, another British player, wrote on X on Tuesday: “Was meant to be playing there this week, cannot believe they’ve gone ahead and not cancelled the event. Madness.”

There is also positive news for the higher-profile players who had all been stuck in Dubai since the conclusion of the Dubai Championships on Saturday.

Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov secured their own passage out of the country via Oman, while British doubles player Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara have also now left.

The England women’s cricket team are exploring other options after their training camp in Abu Dhabi was cancelled.

Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt told PA: “There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment and safety is paramount. Luckily we are pretty flexible and adaptable as a team.

“The security team are always across all of the trips we have and we were going to have a security briefing, but things changed quite rapidly over the last few days.

“As a senior player I’m looking to instil a little calm and confidence in everybody that the right decisions will be made. So we’re in a holding pattern for the moment.”

Meanwhile, a host of counties have abandoned pre-season tours to the region.

Durham and Nottinghamshire have both cancelled pre-season tours to Abu Dhabi next week, while Glamorgan’s scheduled trip to Oman has also been removed from the calendar. Worcestershire, who were due to play the Welsh side and the Oman national team, are likely to follow suit in due course.