On Monday, President Donald Trump urged Australia to grant asylum to members of Iran’s women’s national soccer team.
Silent Anthem Protest Sparks Safety Concerns
Players from the Iranian women’s national football team drew attention during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
They stood silently while the Iranian national anthem played before their opening match against the South Korean women’s national football team on March 2.
The gesture was widely viewed as a protest against authorities in Iran and reportedly angered hard-line figures back home.
Human rights groups and soccer organizations soon began calling for the athletes to be granted protection.
Trump Calls On Australia To Grant Asylum
Trump weighed in, urging Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to allow the players to stay.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM.”
Trump added that the U.S. would be willing to accept the players if Australia declined.
Australia Grants Protection To Five Players
Australia ultimately granted asylum to five members of the team, according to Tony Burke, the country’s home affairs minister, who confirmed the decision in a post on X.
Trump praised the Australian leader, writing, “The Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!”
The move also drew praise from Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Sharing Trump’s message online, Pahlavi said, “Thank you, Mr. President.”
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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