Inter Milan star Mehdi Taremi stuck in Iran amid Israel conflict and will miss Club World Cup

Mehdi Taremi played for Iran on Tuesday in a World Cup qualifier but the Inter Milan forward is now grounded in Tehran with air space closed as conflict with Israel escalates

Mehdi Taremi has been unable to join his Inter Milan team-mates for the Club World Cup having been grounded in Iran, with air space closed during the escalating conflict with Israel.

The forward scored for Iran in their 3-0 World Cup qualifier against North Korea in Tehran on Tuesday night and was meant to join his club in Los Angeles on Saturday ahead of their Group E opener against Monterrey, which kicks off at 2am BST on Wednesday.

But he is stranded in his home nation and Italian media reports say the 32-year-old is now no longer expected to link up with Inter for the FIFA tournament – regardless of whether Iranian air space reopens.

Flights have been grounded since Israel launched a military operation on Thursday targeting nuclear sites and several Iranian commanders. They have since retaliated, targeting Tel Aviv, with dozens of people reported dead.

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Taremi signed for Inter from Porto last year and made 26 appearances in Serie A this season, though only seven of those were starts as the Milan side finished second behind Napoli.

He also played a dozen times in their Champions League run but was an unused substitute for their 5-0 humbling at the hands of Paris Saint Germain in the final.

Inter also face Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds and South African giants River Plate in the group stage of the new and controversial 32-team tournament which runs until July 14.

The Serie A side are joined by domestic rivals and 10 other European sides, with the Premier League represented by Chelsea and Manchester City.

Despite a £775m prize fund on offer, with the winners set to bank close to £100m for seven games of work, many players have complained about having to participate in a tournament scheduled for what is typically their brief off-season.

The tournament began at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami playing out an insipid scoreless draw against Al Ahly.

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