In an act of defiance heard round the world, the Iranian women's soccer team stood silent during the opening match at the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia in early March as Operation Epic Fury was unfolding. The Iranian regime immediately dubbed them “traitors” and let it be known they'd be facing unpleasant consequences when they returned home to their country.
Several of the players quickly applied for and received sanctuary in Australia — but then more and more began changing their minds and deciding to return home to face the potentially brutal consquences. Why?
Because they and their families were being threatened, and they figured they’d rather face possible execution than sit safely Down Under and read news stories about their relatives being slaughtered by the psychotic remaining leaders of the Islamic Republic.
After the defecting players caused an international uproar over their situation, with President Trump even offering to have the US take in the women if Australia didn’t grant them asylum, five of the seven women now have opted to return home to the Islamic republic.
The players were “given repeated chances to talk about their options” but ultimately faced “incredibly difficult decisions,” Australia Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement Saturday.
Tina Kordrostami, a councilor for the Australian city of Ryde, claimed the players were being ” heavily intimidated” by Tehran, suggesting their families were being used as leverage to get them back home.
“I know families have even been detained. I know family members are missing,” Kordrostami told Fox News’ “Fox Report With Jon Scott.”
Just so people understand what happened here:
— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 16, 2026
These women claimed asylum because they were likely to be tortured and killed for a gesture standing up to the regime. The regime then started kidnapping their families instead to force them to come home and face likely execution. https://t.co/vPlEVc0jsC
MORE: THE ESSEX FILES: Iran’s Lionesses Show Why Tehran Fears Its Own Women
After Anthem Defiance, Five Iranian Women’s Soccer Players Secure Asylum in Australia
They are returning home to uncertain fates:
🚨 BREAKING: All but three members of Iran’s women’s soccer team have reportedly returned to Iran after alleged threats from the regime against them and their families, according to Australia city councillor Tina Kordrostami.pic.twitter.com/UzBYVB20o4
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 14, 2026
The Australian government has tried to help them, but the reality is that they cannot protect the families back in the besieged republic:
On Sunday, Tony Burke, Australia’s minister for home affairs, said the government there had done “everything we could” to give the women a chance for a safe future in Australia. He said that after the women communicated their decision to return, the Australian government gave them opportunities to discuss their options.
“We cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” Burke said.
Some may question the women’s decisions, but they are facing decisions of life and death that few of us can even imagine. The dire situation proves once again how barbaric mullahs were — and still are, even if highly diminished — and it represents reason number 502,918 why the world will be a better place once they’re permanently removed from the earth.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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