Trump urges Australia to give Iran women’s team asylum
US President Donald Trump called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant asylum to members of the Iranian women’s football team in Australia.
Lawyers were pleading with Australian authorities to meet with the team to ensure their safety after they saw the team make a hand sign that appeared to be “SOS” after their final Asian Cup match on Sunday night.
The team is staying at the Royal Pines resort on the Gold Coast and will leave Australia later this week.
“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iranian National Women’s Football Team to be deported back to Iran where they will most likely be killed,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social around 1am AEDT.
“Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give the right to asylum, if you don’t, the USA will take it,” he said.
Rana Dadpour, founder of women’s rights group AUSIRAN, called on government officials on Monday to hold private meetings with team members before they leave the country, warning they could face execution if they return home.
“We need to talk to these girls away from the handlers and regime loyalists who are now pursuing them in Australia,” he told AAP.
“If they want to stay, I think we need to provide them with whatever support we can.”
At least one of the women leaving the final match of the competition on Sunday night appeared to signal for international help from the window of the team bus; He lifted his open palm, crossed his thumb over it, and joined all four fingers at the top.
Protesters surrounded the bus and women filmed the crowd from the window.
Media reports on Monday night suggested several members of the team had escaped from their superiors and were under police protection in Queensland.
“The government must immediately revoke the visas of any accompanying security personnel involved in threats or intimidation against these brave women and place them in immigration detention,” Liberal MP Julian Leeser said in a statement on Monday evening.
“Each member of the Iran Women’s Football Team should have the opportunity to speak individually to an Australian Border Force agent or other government official and seek asylum if they so wish,” Mr Leeser said.
“We must offer the women of the Iranian team an alternative to returning to Iran,” the opposition frontrunner said.
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