The United States, the host country, is not seeking to exclude Iran from this summer's football World Cup, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, after a US official raised the possibility of replacing war-torn Iran with Italy, which did not qualify.

"The problem with Iran is not its athletes. It is some of the other people they want to bring with them, some of whom have links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," Rubio told reporters.

"I don't know where this is coming from, it's speculation that Iran might decide not to come, and that Italy would take its place," added the US Secretary of State.

While the war in the Middle East casts doubt on Iranian participation, an advisor to Donald Trump told the Financial Times on Thursday that he had suggested the unlikely scenario of replacing Iran with Italy to Mr. Trump and Gianni Infantino, head of FIFA, for the tournament organized jointly in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

Italian officials also ruled out on Thursday a reprieve for the four-time world champions, who failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup after being eliminated in the European play-off final by Bosnia-Herzegovina at the end of March.

"If the Iranian players decide not to come of their own accord, it's because they've decided not to come," Rubio continued. "What they can't do is bring a whole bunch of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terrorists into our country pretending they're journalists and physical trainers."