Five members of the Iranian women's football team have been granted humanitarian visas in Australia, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offering assistance to other players and stating 'help is here'. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the humanitarian offer on Tuesday morning, hours after US President Donald Trump posted about their plight on social media.
The players have been granted temporary humanitarian visas, providing a pathway to permanent residency. Burke said the visas were granted at about 1.30am on Tuesday, around the time of Trump's social media posts, which first criticised, then praised Australia. The players have been moved to a secure location by the Australian Federal Police, and security agency ASIO has cleared them.
Burke stated, 'They are welcome to stay in Australia. They are safe here, and they should feel at home here.' He added that the same opportunity is available to other team members. Prime Minister Albanese said Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women and that the AFP had plans in place with Commissioner Krissy Barrett directly involved.
The Iranian team is in Australia for the women's Asian Cup football tournament. Their appearance raised fears they could be punished if they returned home, after the team received criticism in Iran for not singing the national anthem before a match last week. Government sources downplayed reports that the players had 'escaped' their hotel, suggesting the process began with players opening discussions with the government.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Australia was making a 'terrible humanitarian mistake' by allowing the team to be forced back to Iran, demanding Albanese offer them asylum. Later, Trump posted that he had spoken to Albanese, praising his efforts and adding 'God bless Australia'. Albanese declined to provide further details of the conversation but said it was 'fairly lengthy' and mostly revolved around the Iranian team.
Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah of Iran, wrote on Instagram that five players had left their training camp and successfully sought refuge in Australia. He identified them as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi.
