FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will "for sure" participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war.

"Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help," Infantino told an economic conference organized by broadcaster CNBC.

"But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play," he said of the team's upcoming matches scheduled in the United States in June.

YouTube has terminated a channel belonging to a pro-Iran group producing viral Lego-themed AI videos that ridicule US President Donald Trump, the Google-owned platform said Wednesday, sparking online criticism.

Explosive Media, a group of pro-Tehran creators that describes itself as independent but is widely suspected of ties to the Iranian government, has gained internet notoriety during the US-Iran war for animation videos that have racked up millions of views.

The United States announced Wednesday it is tightening sanctions against Iran's oil industry as Tehran keeps up its closure of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the Mideast war.

The new punishment targets oil transport infrastructure by slapping sanctions on more than two dozen people, companies and ships that operate within the network of petroleum shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the Treasury Department said.

LONDON, April 15 (Reuters) - The World Bank and other top development lenders launched a new global initiative dubbed Water Forward on Wednesday, aimed at improving secure water access for a billion people within the next four years.

The programme seeks to boost investment in water management while encouraging governments to treat water as a strategic economic resource rather than a low-cost public utility. It will focus on mobilising private capital and philanthropic money alongside public funding, the World Bank said.

By Nolan D. McCaskill and David Morgan

WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - White House budget director Russell Vought said on Wednesday he could not estimate the cost of the Iran war, as he defended President Donald Trump's request for a massive $1.5 trillion annual military budget against bipartisan criticism from U.S. lawmakers who cited the Pentagon's historic lack of financial accountability.

US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a ceasefire Thursday, and said he was trying to set up the first-ever meeting between the leaders of the two countries.

Following what he called "excellent" phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump said the truce would begin within hours.

"These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST," or 2100 GMT, Trump said on his Truth Social network.

April 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday it was targeting Iran's oil transportation infrastructure by imposing sanctions on more than two dozen individuals, companies, and vessels.

The sanctions target a network of Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the Treasury Department said in a statement. Hossein Shamkhani is the son of Ali Shamkhani, a key figure in Iran's security and nuclear policymaking who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28.

JERUSALEM, April 15 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday the Israeli military continued to strike at Hezbollah and was about to overcome what he described as the militia's stronghold of Bint Jbeil, as pressure mounted for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said he has instructed the military to continue reinforcing the security zone in southern Lebanon while at the same time negotiating a peace deal with Beirut.

WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - Reports that the White House has requested a ceasefire in the Iran war are wrong, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday but added that discussions about a second round of talks with the Iranians were ongoing and productive.

Speaking at a White House press briefing, Leavitt said any fresh talks would likely be in Pakistan again as it has emerged as the "only mediator" in the effort to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - A majority of the U.S. Senate backed President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran on Wednesday, voting to block a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the war until hostilities are authorized by Congress.

As voting continued, the tally was 51-47 to block the war powers resolution, as almost all of Trump's fellow Republicans voted against it.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Chris Reese)