Inter Milan striker stranded in Iran after Israel’s bombing of Tehran

Inter Milan forward Mehdi Taremi is currently stranded in Iran after failing to get a flight out of the country amid its conflict with Israel, with Italian media reporting the 32-year-old will miss the FIFA Club World Cup.

Iranian airspace was closed after Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran on Friday.

Taremi, who was named in Inter’s squad for the 32-team tournament, was expected to link up with his team in Los Angeles as they prepare for the tournament, but media reports in Italy and the US said on Saturday that the striker is likely to miss the first match on Tuesday and perhaps the entire competition.

“The Iranian striker will not join the Nerazzurri, neither for the first match nor for the others,” Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Saturday.

Diaspora Digital Media understand that Taremi had flown back to his homeland to accept Iran’s Footballer of the Year award and planned to then jet straight out to Los Angeles to join his club team-mates.

However, the rapid escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran saw Israeli missiles and jets bombard nuclear and military facilities, with Tehran targeted.

As a result, all flights from Iranian airports have been grounded until further notice.

Moreover, Inter touched down in the United States earlier this week without Iranian international Taremi.

According to Sky Italia, Inter are in ‘constant contact’ with Taremi as they look to find a solution that will allow him to leave the country and fly to the US.

Iran was targeted with several waves of missiles on Thursday and Friday and the Ayatollah regime responded with retaliatory attacks overnight.

Iran’s state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, were killed after an Israeli attack on a housing complex in Tehran.

Earlier, the country’s UN ambassador told the Security Council that at least 78 people had been killed.

10 people have died after the Iranian strikes on Israel, with over 200 more injured.

Taremi remained on the bench during Inter’s Champions League final defeat by PSG but made 43 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring three goals.

Inter, now managed by Christian Chivu, will play Monterrey, Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds and Argentine side River Plate in their Club World Cup group.

Meanwhile, Britain is sending more jets to the Middle East after Iran warned the United States and UK that it could retaliate if they come to Israel’s defence.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the planes will offer ‘contingency support across the region’ amid the mounting hostilities between Iran and Israel.

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