US President Donald Trump has offered asylum to Iran’s women’s soccer team after Iranian state media branded them “traitors” following the team’s refusal to sing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national anthem.
Iran’s women’s soccer team, currently in Australia for the Asia Cup, lost their final group game on Sunday and are set to return home to Iran amid the ongoing war between the United States and Israel.
Australia is facing calls to protect the team and prevent them from returning to Iran.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president wrote: “Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing Iran’s national women’s soccer team to be forced back to Iran where they will most likely be killed.”
Trump called on the Australian prime minister to offer them asylum, adding: “The US will take them if you don’t want to.”
It comes after the soccer team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem before their first match on March 2.
They have since performed the anthem in subsequent matches, but Iranian media have described the initial act of defiance as “the height of disgrace.”
A campaign is underway in Australia calling on the government to “save our girls”. An online petition calling on Australia to ensure the safety of the women’s soccer team has so far garnered more than 50,000 signatures.
The Australian government has not yet responded to the demands of the US president and human rights activists.
