The WWE are planning to move forward with their events in the Middle East this week despite the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.
WWE’s blockbuster Night of Champions is on Saturday evening at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, with a version of SmackDown taking place on Friday night.
However, there have been widespread calls to either postpone or move the event given the recent developments in the Middle East.
The conflict began on June 13 when Israel caught Iran by surprise after attacking nuclear and military targets in the country as they attempt to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
In response, Iran fired hundreds of rockets and drones back at Israel and there have been various tit-for-tat strikes in the days since.
Due to the ongoing conflict, there had been concerns among fans over the welfare of the wrestlers – and supporters who would be in attendance – in Riyadh.
WWE are still planning to host events in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict (Pictured: WWE chief executive Triple H)
WWE Night of Champions will be headlined by John Cena (pictured) vs CM Punk
However, according to PWInsider, the WWE’s chartered flight to Saudi Arabia – which carried most of the talent for the weekend’s events – did leave Miami as planned on Wednesday afternoon.
The outlet claim that WWE chief John Gaburick flew from Riyadh to meet the stars and make the journey with them to Saudi Arabia, in an attempt to assure them over any safety concerns.
It is also reportedly unlikely that the event would be postponed or cancelled given the plans to host the 2026 Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia and how much money is at stake.
The Iran-Israel conflict escalated further on Saturday when President Donald Trump confirmed that they had bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran, labelling it a ‘spectacular military success’.
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has now confirmed that the United States hit Tehran’s nuclear sites but said they achieved ‘nothing significant’.
Khamenei condemned what he called Donald Trump’s ‘showmanship’ and claimed that the US President ‘exaggerated’ the impact of the strikes on three nuclear sites ‘because he needed to.’
The Israel-Iran conflict began this month and both countries have exchanged air strikes (pictured – residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian airstrike in Tel Aviv, Israel)
US president Donald Trump then confirmed they had bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran
On Tuesday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted that the ‘aggressor enemy failed’ to destroy his country’s nuclear sites.
On the same day, CNN and The New York Times reported on a leaked US intelligence report which suggested the strikes had only set Iran’s nuclear programme back ‘a few months’.
But this was furiously denied by Trump and his top officials, who labelled it ‘fake news’ and insisted the nuclear sites had been ‘obliterated’.
Last night, the head of the CIA John Ratcliffe said that the US strikes had left Iran’s nuclear facilities ‘severely damaged’ and set them back years.
