TEHRAN challenged Washington to get in the ring yesterday, banning US wrestlers in response to President Donald Trump’s order denying entry to citizens of Iran and six other countries.

A US wrestling team was set to compete in this month’s Freestyle World Cup in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah.

But an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday that a special committee had reviewed their case in light of Mr Trump’s three-month ban on visa applications from seven Muslim-majority states.

“Eventually, the visit by the US freestyle wrestling team was opposed,” the spokesman said, adding that Mr Trump’s policy left Iran no other choice.

Four-time world champion Jordan Burroughs was among those scheduled to compete.

“This is one of the few times where something so personal has occurred,” he said. “Almost like it [was] handed down from the president to us. It’s a bummer.”

United World Wrestling spokesman Tim Foley said the federation was “still working on a solution” and hoped to know more by early next week.

The announcement came as Mr Trump issued more threats to Tehran via Twitter and his administration slapped sanctions on 13 individuals and a dozen companies for allegedly procuring missile technology following Iran’s short-range ballistic missile test on Sunday.

Iranians, Lebanese, Chinese and Emirati individuals and companies also are now blacklisted from doing any business in the US or with its citizens.

“Iran’s continued support for terrorism and development of its ballistic missile programme poses a threat to the region, to our partners worldwide and to the United States,” Treasury acting sanctions chief John E Smith said.

“Iran is playing with fire — they don’t appreciate how ‘kind’ President Obama was to them. Not me!” Mr Trump tweeted in reference to the 2015 nuclear energy accord signed by his predecessor.

On Thursday, Mr Trump wrote he was putting Tehran “on notice” over the test, saying Iran “should have been thankful” for the deal which lifted some sanctions — claiming that it had rescued the Iranian economy from “collapse.”

Leading Friday prayers in Tehran, top cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said Iran would press on with its missile programme.

“Our missile drills are a show of our might,” he said. “We are living in a world of wolves. Wolves such as the arrogant government of America.”

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