President Trump said he would offer the Iranian women’s soccer team asylum if they are not given the same legal protection in Australia. “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. Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. The U.S. will take them if you won’t,” Trump said on Truth Social. "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. Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. The U.S. will take them if you won’t…" – @POTUS pic.twitter.com/OTIsmVavJR — The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 9, 2026 Members of the soccer team participated in a silent protest of their country’s regime and reportedly were condemned as “wartime traitors” on Iranian state TV following their silence during the national anthem in their first group game against South Korea. DEFIANT SILENCE: In a powerful scene, the Iranian women’s national soccer team remained silent during their national anthem at the Asian Cup on Monday. Iran is the only team from the Middle East to qualify for this year’s tournament. The moment came days after the United States… pic.twitter.com/3rrT77R0zU — Fox News (@FoxNews) March 3, 2026 The Australian-hosted Asian Cup tournament started when the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran. The Iranian women’s team was eliminated on Sunday after losing 2-0 to the Philippines. Newsweek shared further: It comes as the office of Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi said that five members of the Iranian women’s national football team—Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi—had left their training camp and successfully sought refuge in Australia. “These five courageous athletes, currently in a safe location, have announced they they have joined Iran’s national Lion and Sun Revolution,” the office said on X. On March 3, members of Iran women’s national football team declined to sing the national anthem before their Asian Cup match against South Korea in Australia. Three days later, the team sang the anthem before their defeat to Australia, raising concerns that they had been ordered to do so. On Sunday, Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong refused to comment on whether the country had been in contact with the players. “I don’t want to get into commentary about the Iranian women’s team. Obviously this is a regime that we know has brutally cracked down on its people,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “I just spoke to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, of Australia, concerning the Iranian National Women’s Soccer Team. He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way,” Trump said in an update post. “Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return. In any event, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!” he added. The Hill noted: Concerns over the safety of the Iranian national women’s soccer team come just weeks before the men’s team is slated to play in the United States for World Cup matches this summer. FIFA has not commented publicly on if the Iranian men’s team will be able to travel safely to North America, while Trump has said he “does not care” if the Iran team competes, casting the country as “very badly defeated,” and “running on fumes.” What’s your assessment?