Iran has lashed out at Australia, branding our nation “obedient and stupid” following a huge update in the Iranian soccer team saga.
Iran has slammed Australia as an “obedient and stupid presence in Trump’s playground” after three more soccer team members reversed their asylum claims and opted to return home to the war zone.
Iran is claiming a propaganda victory after three more members of the country’s women’s national football delegation backflipped on a decision to seek asylum.
Iranian outlets aligned with the regime say two more players and a support staff member — Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali, and Zahra Meshkinkar — opted to return home overnight.
Midfielder Mohaddeseh Zolfi — had previously her withdrawn asylum requests returned to join the team in Malaysia.
In a post published by the Tasnim News Agency, a media organisation closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian officials framed the decision as a patriotic rejection of Western influence.
The statement said in full:
“The disgraceful failure of the American-Australian project and another failure for Trump,” the statement said.
“Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and Zahra Meshkinkar, two players and a member of the technical staff of the national women’s football team, have withdrawn their asylum application in Australia and are currently leaving for Malaysia and returning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland.
“This is while previously, Mohaddeseh Zolfi, another player of our country’s national women’s football team, with her heart for the homeland and the Iranian flag, rejected the offer to stay in Australia and decided to return to Iran.
“The national spirit and patriotism of the Iranian women’s national football team girls defeated the enemy’s plans against this team, which had been widely reflected in the hostile media with numerous projections.”
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” he said.
“While the Australian Government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which players make these incredibly difficult decisions.
“The Australian Government has done everything we could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia.
“Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation presenting them with genuine choices and interacted with authorities seeking to help them.”
The saga unfolded after the Iranian women’s team — known as the Lionesses — drew global attention when players did not sing the national anthem before a match against South Korea on the Gold Coast.
The silence was widely interpreted as a protest against the Iranian regime and sparked a fierce reaction in Iranian state media.
Iran’s national women’s team coach Marziyeh Jafari later said over the weekend in a now deleted Telegram post that the broadcast created an atmosphere that deeply affected the players.
“Our girls were affected in the first match by the heavy atmosphere that had been created,” she said in a statement released by Iran’s football federation.
“But the greater mistake was made by those who, at home, failed to understand that atmosphere and sounded the call to arms against the daughters of this land.”
She said threats directed at the athletes in Iran had played a role in the turmoil.
“I am certain that if that atmosphere had not been created, not a single one of our players would have stayed in Australia,” she said.
Australian-Iranian community groups assisting the women say the decision facing the athletes has been extraordinarily difficult.
Supporters gathered outside stadiums during the tournament banging drums and chanting “let them go” and “save our girls” as the crisis unfolded.
A spokesperson for community organisation AusIran said one of the players who initially sought protection sent a message expressing fear for relatives still in Iran.
“They have all of our families hostage in Iran,” the message reportedly said.
The group said Iranian athletes travelling overseas are sometimes forced to sign documents placing family assets under government control.
“They usually force them to sign forms and basically give control of their assets, businesses, everything to the government,” the spokesperson said.
“Basically their lives become hostages for the regime while they are overseas.”
Iranian officials have rejected those claims and instead accused Australia of attempting to coerce athletes into defecting.
Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj falsely alleged Australian authorities interfered with the delegation and prevented players from leaving freely.
“After the game, unfortunately, the Australian police came and intervened, removing one or two of the players from the hotel, according to the news we have,” he said in remarks reported by Iranian media.
He also claimed the squad encountered difficulties boarding their flight home.
“They completely blocked them at the gate and told everyone to become refugees,” Taj alleged.
Australian authorities have strongly denied those claims.
Mr Burke said the government’s goal had been to ensure every member of the delegation had the opportunity to make a free decision.
“These individuals were meeting a government that said the choice is up to you,” he said.
“And as Australians we should be proud that we’re that sort of country.”
The remaining players who chose to stay are currently in a secure location in Queensland as officials begin the process of transitioning their humanitarian visas into permanent status, while members of the delegation returning home were photographed in transit through Kuala Lumpur on their way back to Iran.