Hossein Vafaei has said he hopes to make the people in his home country of Iran happy with his run into the quarter-finals at the world snooker championships in Sheffield.

World number 32 Vafaei came through qualifying and caused a major upset when he beat English world number one Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre on Monday night to reach the last eight for the first time, where he will face China's Wu Yize.

Vafaei admitted to mixed emotions after the extra frame 13-12 success over Trump due to the situation in Iran, mass protests in January and the start of United States and Israel air strikes on February 28, now suspended via a ceasefire.

"I don’t know (whether) to be happy. I don’t know (whether) to be sad. I don’t know what to do. It’s just, this is the only thing I can do," he was quoted as saying by British media.

"With my cue, I can do something for them to make them happy at least. To show that the Iran flag is there.

He said he feared for the safety of his family in Iran but added that "I decided to fight, fight for my people, and all the Iranians all over the world. And hopefully I can make them happy.

"Everything I am doing is from the bottom of my heart. There are lots of things going on (in Iran). Even if I win the trophy, it’s nothing."

Vafaei named Monday's success "one of the biggest wins of my career" and feels he could go all the way in Sheffield where he now also lives.

"I came to live in Sheffield to be beside the Crucible. The Crucible trophy is living in my head rent free," he said.