Iran soccer players granted humanitarian visas in Australia

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Seven members of the Iranian women’s soccer team are in Australia, while the rest of the team has left the country for Iran, CNN reported.

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Five members of the women’s soccer team who were seeking asylum in Australia are being allowed to stay and were granted humanitarian visas after fearing for their safety if they were to return to Iran, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

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“Last night I was able to tell five women from the Iranian women’s soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, to be safe and have a home here,” Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke added on X.

Now another two members of the team, a staffer and a player, are also seeking asylum in Australia, according to the report. The rest of the team is believed to have left the country for Iran.

Group tried to block bus from leaving

An observer at the scene told CNN that a group of people outside of the hotel where the team was staying on Tuesday tried to stop the team’s bus from heading to the local airport, shouting at police to “save our girls” as the bus pulled away. They also said one of the players appeared to be crying as what appeared to be security guards escorted the team onto the bus.

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Hadi Karimi, a human rights advocate who is a member of the Australian-Iranian community, said at least three of the players were seen inside the bus making the international hand signal for help.

U.S. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social site to praise Australia’s move, saying: “I just spoke to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, of Australia, concerning the Iranian National Women’s Soccer Team. He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way. Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return.”

He added that Albanese is doing a “very good job … with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!”

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Women threatened after refusing to sing anthem

Before the decision allowing the players to stay, Trump had criticized Australia and said the country’s politicians were “making a terrible humanitarian mistake” if the women were not granted asylum, adding, “The U.S. will take them if you won’t.”

The controversy started before an AFC Women’s Asian Cup matchup between Iran and South Korea on March 2, when the Iranian women refused to sing or salute their own national anthem to protest the hardline Islamic regime and to show solidarity with women protesting in that country.

The regime called for harsh punishments for the women with state media calling them “traitors” displaying “the pinnacle of dishonour.”

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Journalist believes women were threatened

In following matches, the women sang the anthem, though Alireza Mohebbi, a correspondent for the London-based Iran International news network, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he believed the women must have been intimidated into doing so.

“It’s completely obvious that the Islamic Republic’s regime and the security team which is with the players in Australia forced them to sing the anthem,” he said. “In the first match with South Korea, they didn’t do it, but now with all the pressure and media spreading the news around the world, it’s completely obvious the regime pushed them not just to sing the anthem, but to do the military salute. There is no doubt.”

There is global concern for the women who returned to Iran after they lost their final match of the tournament on Sunday. Sports journalist Raha Pourbakhsh told CNN at least three of the five players granted asylum were threatened.

Australian human rights advocate and national soccer team alumnus Craig Foster said a “vast range of organizations” tried to speak to the women, but were prevented from doing so.

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