Due to the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, Inter Milan’s experienced forward will miss their upcoming Club World Cup match—he’s stranded in Iran.
Just last Tuesday, Mehdi Taremi scored for Iran in a World Cup qualifier against North Korea. He was expected to take the field for Inter Milan in their Club World Cup match this coming Tuesday. But that’s now out of the question. In fact, there’s growing uncertainty around whether he’ll be available for the rest of the tournament. The striker simply can’t leave Iran.
All airports in Iran have been shut down due to the escalating war with Israel. Taremi’s scheduled flight was canceled on Saturday, meaning the 32-year-old cannot travel to Los Angeles to join the Inter Milan squad.
If the conflict drags on, Inter might be without Taremi for the entire tournament. Some Italian media outlets have already reported that he is out for good.
In Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, Taremi scored one of the goals in Iran’s 3–0 win over North Korea. Iran has already secured a spot in next year’s World Cup.
After four seasons at Porto, Taremi joined Inter Milan in July on a three-year deal. Under former coach Simone Inzaghi, he has mainly featured as a substitute. This season, he’s made 43 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals.
With 55 goals in 94 appearances for Iran, Taremi is the country’s third-highest scorer of all time.
