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"Iranian athletes and sports officials visited Tehran's Azadi Sports Complex on Friday, touring what is left of the once-bustling sports facility after it was severely damaged amid the ongoing war in Iran. Footage shows crowds moving through the damaged facility amid collapsed structures and scattered rubble. The high-profile delegation, including Esteghlal FC CEO Ali Tajernia, national team footballers, and members of the men's and women's basketball teams, later gathered outside the stadium for a press conference. The Esteghlal chairman condemned the reported strike on the stadium, calling it a clear violation of international humanitarian law, which requires the protection of civilian sites. "Sports are purely civilian in nature," Tajernia said, "Stadiums and sports halls are places for training, competition and public gatherings, and under no circumstances should they be considered military targets." Tajernia emphasised that protecting civilian sites was not a choice but an 'international obligation,' demanding the immediate cessation of attacks on all sports facilities. "This hall was truly a facility used by the entire sports community - basketball, volleyball and handball - but unfortunately, we see how brutally it has been damaged," said Ashkan Jafarian, a national basketball team player. Turning to the upcoming FIFA World Cup - set to be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada - Iran coach Bijan Taheri said no individual or political figure can claim ownership of the tournament or influence who takes part. "The World Cup doesn't belong to Trump," Taheri said. "Now that it's being hosted in America this year, he's making comments. But the World Cup belongs to the whole world. The teams that have worked hard and qualified will take part. No one can stop them." The 12,000-seat Azadi Stadium is a landmark sports venue opened for the 1974 Asian Games and is known for its distinctive engineering design, including four supporting pillars spanning 20,000 square metres. Tensions escalated across the Middle East since the US and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28, while diplomatic talks aimed at 'limiting Iran's nuclear and missile programs' were ongoing. Iran struck back with attacks on Israeli and US targets in the region, and there were reports of explosions in several Gulf countries. The conflict spread to Lebanon when Hezbollah got involved 'in revenge' for the killing of Iran's supreme leader."
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