PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) — Richonell Margaret scored twice in two-minute span in the second half on Thursday as Suriname defeated El Salvador 4-0 in CONCACAF qualifying to move closer to securing a spot in the World Cup for the first time.
Tjaronn Cherry opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the 44th minute and Richonell Margaret scored in the 74th and 76th minutes while Dhoraso Moreo Klass added a goal in the 83rd.
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Panama's Cecilio Waterman celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Guatemala during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Guatemala City, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Guatemala's Darwin Lom reacts at the end of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Panama in Guatemala City, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Jamaica's players pose for a photo before a game against Trinidad and Tobago during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Taylor)
Jamaica's coach Steve McClaren, left, greets Trinidad and Tobago's coach Dwight Yorke during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Taylor)
Jamaica's Jonathan Russell, center, appeals after his goal against Trinidad and Tobago was disallowed during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Taylor)
With the win, Suriname remains undefeated and reached nine points in Group A, the same as Panama which defeated Guatemala 3-2.
Suriname, that has a better goal difference over the Panamanians, will visit Guatemala next Tuesday, while Panama hosts El Salvador.
Twelve teams, divided into three groups, are vying for three direct spots from regional qualifying for next year’s World Cup. The United States, Canada and Mexico have qualified automatically as World Cup co-hosts.
Suriname, one of CONCACAF’s founding nations in 1961, is playing in the final round of qualifying for the first time since 1978.
El Salvador suffered its fourth straight loss and with three points is eliminated.
Also on Thursday, Jordi Paulina scored twice and Curacao beat Bermuda 7-0 and will play against Jamaica for a spot in the World Cup.
Paulina scored in the 48th and 63rd minutes, while Leandro Vacuna (7), Juninho Vacuna (32), Sontje Hansen (59), Ar' Jany Martha (82), and Roshon van Eijma (90) added goals for Curacao, which is coached by Dick Advocaat.
Advocaat was at the helm of the Netherlands national team for three stints and managed South Korea, Belgium and Russia before taking the job with Curacao, which has never qualified for a World Cup.
With the convincing win, Curacao has 11 points and leads Group B over Jamaica, which had a 1-1 draw against Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica, which has only ever qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France, is coached by former England’s national team mentor Steve McLaren. The Reggae Boys will host Curacao in Kingston’s National Stadium next Tuesday.
Curacao needs a win or a draw to qualify while Jamaica requires a win.
Bancy Hernandez and Jaime Moreno scored goals and Nicaragua upset Honduras 2-0 to leave the group undecided going into the last round next Tuesday. Hernandez opened the scoring in the 12th minute and Moreno secure the win at the 82nd minute for the Nicaraguans.
Also on Thursday, Frantzdy Pierrot scored a goal in the first half and Haiti downed Costa Rica 1-0.
Pierrot scored in the 44th minute to secure the win for the Haitians, whose only appearance in a World Cup was in 1974.
With one round left to play, Honduras leads the group with eight points, the same as Haiti, but with a better goal difference. Costa Rica remains in contention with six, while Nicaragua is eliminated with four points.
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Panama's Cecilio Waterman celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Guatemala during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Guatemala City, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Guatemala's Darwin Lom reacts at the end of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Panama in Guatemala City, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Jamaica's players pose for a photo before a game against Trinidad and Tobago during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Taylor)
Jamaica's coach Steve McClaren, left, greets Trinidad and Tobago's coach Dwight Yorke during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Taylor)
Jamaica's Jonathan Russell, center, appeals after his goal against Trinidad and Tobago was disallowed during a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Taylor)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran hit an oil tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait’s airport on Wednesday while airstrikes battered Tehran — an unrelenting tempo hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was nearly ready to wind down the war.
Trump, who is scheduled to address the nation later in the day, said he could walk away from the war in two to three weeks once he felt confident Iran would not be able to build a nuclear weapon — even if Tehran does not agree to a ceasefire.
That raised the possibility that the U.S. could withdraw without any guarantee from Iran that it would stop bombing its Gulf Arab neighbors or release its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz. A fifth of the world’s traded oil passes through the strait in peacetime and Tehran’s stranglehold, along with its strikes on energy infrastructure in the region, has caused oil prices to skyrocket, with far-reaching consequences for the global economy. Even if the strait were to reopen quickly, some effects like higher food prices could persist for months or longer.
It’s also not clear what Israel, which began bombing Iran alongside the U.S. on Feb. 28, would do if the U.S. pulls out without a deal. It also leaves open the question of what Iran might do with the highly enriched uranium still in its stockpiles.
Trump’s comments offered another mixed signal from the American leader who has offered shifting objectives for the war and repeatedly said it could be over soon while also threatening to widen the conflict. Thousands of additional U.S. troops are currently heading to the Middle East, and speculation abounds about the purpose of their deployment.
Just days ago, Trump warned that the U.S. would attack Iran’s power plants if Tehran did not reopen the strait by April 6. He has also threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub and possibly desalination plants.
But on Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. “will not have anything to do with” ensuring the security of ships passing through Hormuz.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled Tehran’s willingness to keep fighting.
“You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines,” he said. “We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves.”
Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war as oil prices have skyrocketed, pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was up more than 40% since the start of the war, trading at more than $103 a barrel on Wednesday.
The U.S. has presented Iran with a 15-point plan aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, including a demand for the strait to be reopened and for is nuclear program to be rolled back.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. Its own five-point response includes retaining sovereignty over the strait.
In the interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the U.S. could yield any results, saying “the trust level is at zero.”
He warned against any U.S. attempt to launch a ground offensive, saying “we are waiting for them.”
A cruise missile slammed into an oil tanker off Qatar’s coast Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said. The 21-member crew of the tanker, contracted by state-owned QatarEnergy, was evacuated and no casualties were reported.
A fully-loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker came under attack off Dubai the day before, one of more than 20 ships attacked by Iran during the war.
In the United Arab Emirates, a person was killed when he was hit by debris from an intercepted drone in Fujairah, one of the country’s seven emirates.
Bahrain sounded two alerts for incoming missiles, while Kuwait’s state-run KUNA news agency said a drone hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a large fire.
Two drones were also intercepted in Saudi Arabia, and air raid sirens sounded in Israel though there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
An airstrike on Tehran, meanwhile, appeared to have hit the former U.S. Embassy compound, which has been controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard since American diplomats were held hostage there in 1979.
Witnesses said buildings outside the massive compound had their windows blown out and that it appears the strike happened inside the walled facility.
Israel also said it hit a plant in Iran producing fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. Israel and the United States have alleged in recent years that Iran was experimenting with using fentanyl in chemical weapons.
Iran acknowledged a strike Tuesday on Tofigh Daru factory, but insisted it only supplied “hospital drugs.” Hospitals use fentanyl to treat severe pain but it can also be fatal.
In Lebanon, at least five people were killed in an Israeli strike on a Beirut neighborhood.
Israel invaded southern Lebanon after the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group began launching missiles into northern Israel days after the outbreak of the war. Many Lebanese fear another prolonged military occupation.
More than 1,200 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million displaced, according to authorities. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.
In Iran, authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel. More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, while 13 U.S. service members have been killed.
Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.
A young girl is comforted by her father and Israeli soldiers as they take cover in a bomb shelter during air raid sirens warning of incoming Iranian missile strikes in Bnei Brak, Israel, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
People inspect the site of an Israeli strike amid debris and damaged vehicles in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A man feeds stray cats in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The Indian flagged LPG carrier Jag Vasant transporting liquefied petroleum gas, is seen at the Mumbai Port in Mumbai, India, after it arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Firefighters and rescue workers work at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A firefighter extinguishes a car at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Israel's rescue teams and residents take shelter as sirens sounds next to a site struck by an Iranian missile in Bnei Brak, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A police vehicle is seen through a shattered windshield at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Two men ride scooters past charred debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
