- Australia granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women soccer players following safety concerns and international pressure.
- The players were labeled wartime traitors by Iranian state television after refusing to sing the national anthem.
- President Trump and the Australian Iranian Council urged immediate protection for the athletes during the tournament.
(AUSTRALIA) — Australia granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women’s soccer players on Tuesday after safety fears and a rapid international push that included public calls from President Trump.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the decision and said federal police transported the players to a safe location in the early hours of Tuesday morning, where they began processing for their humanitarian visas.
The move focused on five individuals from Iran’s national women’s team and came as officials in Canberra faced questions about what protections, if any, could be offered to players who did not want to return home.
The players’ request for protection emerged after members of the team refused to sing their national anthem before a March 2 match against South Korea during the Women’s Asian Cup tournament in Australia.
Iranian state television subsequently branded the players “wartime traitors” for the act of protest, a label that intensified concerns among supporters about how officials in Iran might respond when the squad returned.
The team had arrived in Australia before the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military offensive against Iran on February 28, which resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Burke named the five players who received the humanitarian visas as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi, distinguishing the decision from any broader outcome for other team members.
Naming the five Iranian women’s soccer players clarified which cases Australia resolved immediately and reduced confusion over whether the entire squad received the same protection, as attention around the tournament spread quickly across borders.
Trump intensified the pressure on Monday, March 9, when he posted on Truth Social that “Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed,” and said he would grant them asylum in the U.S. if Australia would not.
Less than two hours after his initial post, Trump said he had spoken with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and added that “Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way.”
Trump also acknowledged the tension some players faced about leaving permanently, writing that “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.”
Burke said the same asylum opportunity remains available to other team members, signalling Australia could still consider protection for additional players even after the decision covering the five.
Albanese publicly confirmed the government’s handling of the matter alongside Burke’s announcement, as the prime minister’s office coordinated messaging on a case that had quickly become a test of Australia’s posture under international scrutiny.
In parallel, the Australian Iranian Council pressed for action by launching an online petition with over 50,000 signatures urging authorities to ensure players could seek protection safely and without interference.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed solidarity with the team as the public campaign grew, saying, “We know this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women.”
Public attention, amplified by political statements and the petition, helped keep the players’ situation visible and urgent, even as the government’s actions centered on specific individuals and formal visa processing.
Burke’s role as home affairs minister placed him at the center of the humanitarian visa decision, while Albanese’s involvement underscored whole-of-government coordination and Wong’s statements reflected the diplomatic and public dimension of the case.
For the remaining team members, Burke’s comments left open continued pathways tied to asylum and protection processing, which typically involves individual assessments even when a broader team travels together for an event like the Women’s Asian Cup.
Officials have not detailed what protective arrangements, if any, apply beyond the five players already moved to a safe location, and such cases often stay confidential while processing continues and international attention remains focused on what comes next.
