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New Delhi: The Asian Football Confederation is yet to receive any notification from Iran on withdrawal from FIFA World Cup.

Iran qualified for the mega tournament to be staged in USA, Canada and Mexico from June 11 but could pull out due to the ingoing conflict in West Asia.

The Asian powerhouses are set to play two group matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle but are unwilling to travel in the aftermatch of USA’s airstrikes alongside Israel that killed the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.

USA President Donald Trump last week said that Iran are welcome to play in the 48-team tournament but it might not be appropriate “for their own life and safety”.

On March 11 Iran sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said “under no circumstances” it was “not possible” for them to participate due to safety concerns after the assassination of Ali Khamenei.

“It’s a very emotional moment. Everybody’s saying a lot of things,” AFC’s general secretary Dato Windsor John said in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, as quoted by Reuters.

“At the end of the day, it’s the federation who should decide if they’re playing, and as of today, the federation has told us that they are going to the World Cup.

“They are our member, we want them to play. You know, they qualified … so we hope that they will solve their issues, whatever it is, and be able to participate.”

Iran are clubbed with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt and have qulaified for their fourth straight World Cup edition.

Ranked No. 20 in the world, Iranian officials were absent to attend meetings in Atlanta last week in preparation for the tournament but are expected to FIFA’s annual congress on April 30 in Vancouver.

Should Iran officially withdraw, they would be the first country in the modern era, leaving world governing body FIFA to find a replacement urgently for the tournament that is scheduled to end on July 19.