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President Donald Trump offered a stark warning to the Australian government on Monday as the Iranian women’s soccer team is scheduled to return home after the women’s Asian Cup.
The team faces uncertainty when war broke out while they were in Australia for the tournament. Amid concerns for the players’ welfare, the Australian Iranian Council has written to Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke urging the government to protect team members while they are in the country.
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Iranian players react during the national anthem before the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Image by Dave Hunt/AAP via AP)
Trump weighed in with a post on Truth Social.
“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iranian women’s national football team to be forced to return to Iran, where they will most likely be killed,” he wrote. “Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. The United States will accept them if you don’t.”
Australian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite was asked if the country would grant asylum to the Iranian players, but said the government could not “go into individual circumstances for privacy reasons”.
Five Iranian footballers reportedly defected with the help of the police.
IRANIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER FANS SHOW SUPPORT FOR TRUMP AS TEAM APPEARS TO SPIN INTO NATIONAL ANTHEM POSITION
Iran’s supporters wave flags during the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP)
The team arrived in Australia before Israel and the United States launched a joint offensive against Iran on February 28. The attacks led to the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iranian players refused to sing their national anthem before their opening loss to South Korea last Monday, seen by some as an act of resistance, which was called by one Iranian commentator the “pinnacle of dishonour.”
The team did not clarify. But the players sang the anthem and saluted before their losses to Australia and the Philippines.
The Australian Iranian Council launched an online petition urging Australian authorities to “ensure that no member of Iran’s women’s national football team leaves Australia while credible fears remain for their safety.”
“When there is credible evidence that visiting athletes may face persecution, imprisonment, coercion or worse upon their return, silence is not a neutral position,” the petition said. “The current war environment has intensified the repression, fear and risks faced by anyone publicly perceived as disloyal to the Islamic Republic.”
Iranian supporters display signs expressing support for US President Donald Trump during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 soccer match between Iran and Australia in Gold Coast, Australia, March 5, 2026. (Izhar Khan/AFP via Getty Images)
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Iran head coach Marziyeh Jafari was quoted by Australia’s national news agency that the team wants to “return to Iran as soon as we can.”
