Iran qualifies for the 2026 World Cup after Taremi scores twice in 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan

Iran qualified for the 2026 World Cup after Mehdi Taremi scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

The Inter Milan striker scored his second goal in the 83rd minute in Tehran, giving Iran the point it needed to qualify to a fourth straight appearance at the World Cup and a seventh overall.

The 48-team tournament will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Relations are tense between Iran and the United States. President Donald Trump has linked the actions of Yemen’s Houthi rebels to Iran, warning Tehran it would “ suffer the consequences ” for further attacks by the group. It's unclear how the strained relations will impact the Iranian team's preparations.

Uzbekistan, three points behind Iran in Group A, would have qualified for the first time with a victory and twice took the lead at the Azadi Stadium.

Khojimat Erkinov struck after 16 minutes but Taremi put Iran back on level terms seven minutes into the second half by firing an unstoppable volley into the roof of the net from the edge of the area.

Immediately, Abbosbek Fayzullaev restored Uzbekistan’s lead but, Taremi responded, this time from close range, to send Iran to the World Cup where it will attempt to progress past the group stages for the first time.

The top two from each of the three groups of six in Asia are guaranteed a place, while the teams that finish third and fourth will advance to a further stage to compete for two more places.

Third-placed United Arab Emirates defeated bottom team North Korea 2-1 to move four points behind Uzbekistan while Asian champion Qatar is out of the running for automatic qualification after a 3-1 loss in Kyrgyzstan.

Earlier, Australia took a big step toward securing a spot at tournament with a 2-0 win over China in Hangzhou that also ended the hosts’ hopes of automatic qualification.

First-half goals from Jackson Irvine and Nishan Velupillay were enough for the Socceroos. Australia is second, three points clear of third-place Saudi Arabia, which drew 0-0 at already-qualified Japan.

China has yet to return to the World Cup since its 2002 debut and remains bottom of the group, level on six points with Bahrain who lost 1-0 in Indonesia.

Saudi Arabia is still in the hunt for a seventh appearance after a battling goalless draw in Japan. The hosts dominated at Saitama Stadium but were unable to get the breakthrough.

In Group B, South Korea stayed top but dropped two points for the second time inside a week, drawing 1-1 at home to Jordan.

South Korea needed just six minutes to take the lead through Lee Jae-sung.

A win would have put the Koreans on the brink of an 11th straight appearance but Jordan was level on the half-hour thanks to Mahmoud Al-Mardi.

South Korea has 16 points, three more than Jordan. Iraq is in third with 12 after a surprise 2-1 loss against the Palestinian team. Oman beat Kuwait 1-0 to move onto 10 points.

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Iran's Saleh Hardani, right, controls the ball against Uzbekistan's Farrukh Sayfiev, during a World Cup 2026 group A qualifying soccer match between Iran and Uzbekistan at Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran's Saeid Ezatolahi, center, and Uzbekistan's Rustamjon Ashurmatov, left, challenge for the ball during their Asian qualifier group A match for 2026 World Cup in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Jordan's Mousa Altamari, left, and South Korea's Lee Tae-seok, right, fight for the ball during the third round of the Asian qualifier group B match between South Korea and Jordan for 2026 World Cup at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korea's Lee Jae-sung celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the third round of the Asian qualifier group B match between South Korea and Jordan for 2026 World Cup at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Jordan's Nizar Al Rashdan, left, and South Korea's Hwang In-beom, right, fight for the ball during the third round of the Asian qualifier group B match between South Korea and Jordan for 2026 World Cup at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Japan's Kyogo Furuhashi, left, and Saudi Arabia's Ali Majrashi battle for control the ball during the World Cup 2026 group C qualifying soccer match between Japan and Saudi Arabia at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan team members celebrates after the World Cup 2026 group C qualifying soccer match between Japan and Saudi Arabia at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Ao Tanaka, center, and Saudi Arabia's Ziyad Aljohani battle for control the ball during the World Cup 2026 group C qualifying soccer match between Japan and Saudi Arabia at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Australia's Mitchell Duke heads the ball away during a World Cup 2026 group C qualifier match against China held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo)

Australia's Jackson Irvine keeps control of the ball from China's Sai Erjiniao (6) and China's Baihelamu Abuduwaili (23) during a World Cup 2026 group C qualifier match held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo)

Australia's head coach Tony Popovic, left reacts with Australia's Jackson Irvine after winning a World Cup 2026 group C qualifier match against China held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday approved the design for the triumphal arch that President Donald Trump wants built at an entrance to the nation's capital, a key step in the project's process.

Commissioners, all appointed by Trump, acted despite overwhelming public opposition to the 250-foot arch, one of several projects that Trump is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his imprint on Washington.

“The building is beautiful,” the commission's chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., said shortly before the vote on a design revised slightly from what was presented to the federal agency in April.

The arch would stand 250 feet tall (76 meters) from its base to a torch held aloft by a Lady Liberty-like figure on top of the structure. The statue would be flanked on top by two gilded eagles, but the four lions envisioned as guarding the base are now gone. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would be inscribed in gold lettering atop either side of the monument.

A public observation deck on top would provide 360-degree views of the surroundings.

The commission’s vice chairman, architect James McCrery II, said in April that he preferred the arch without the figures on top, which would have reduced the arch's height by about 80 feet (24.4 meters). Critics of the project argue that the arch would dominate the skyline and disrupt views from the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery.

The arch would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 meters) tall, and be close to half the height of the Washington Monument, an obelisk that is about 555 feet (169 meters) tall.

Commissioners were told at Thursday's meeting that Trump considered the suggestion to remove the statue “but elected not to pursue such an option.”

McCrery recommended doing away with the lions on the base and objected to plans for an underground tunnel for pedestrians to get to the arch, which would be built on a traffic circle. Both design elements have been removed.

Preliminary surveys and testing of the site began last week.

A group of veterans and a historian have sued the Trump administration in federal court to block construction on grounds that the arch would disrupt the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery, among other reasons.

The Republican president and his interior secretary, Doug Burgum, have argued that Washington is the only major Western world capital without such an arch. Burgum's department includes the National Park Service, which manages the plot where Trump wants to put the arch.

The president has said some of his other projects, such as adding a blue coating to the interior of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, will beautify the city in time for July 4 celebrations of America’s 250th birthday.

Trump's rehab of the Reflecting Pool is also the subject of a court challenge brought by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which said the administration’s moves to repaint the bottom of the Reflecting Pool blue without first undergoing relevant reviews ran afoul of federal preservation laws governing historic sites.

The nonprofit group argued in a lawsuit filed last week that the changes at the Reflecting Pool are part of Trump’s broader effort to push through dramatic renovations in Washington without proper reviews and undermine the tone of the area.

A hearing in the case was scheduled for later Thursday in federal court in Washington.

Flags placed by workers are pictured in the Memorial Circle, where President Donald Trump has proposed building an arch to commemorate the United States' 250th anniversary, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Memorial Circle, where President Donald Trump has proposed building an arch to commemorate the United States' 250th anniversary is seen, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)