ISTANBUL

Australia on Tuesday granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women footballers after US President Donald Trump urged Canberra a day earlier to grant them asylum.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, while announcing the decision, said that these players are now safe in Australia.

"We issued five humanitarian visas to members of the Iranian women's soccer team. We had been preparing for this for some time," he said in a video statement, posted on US social media platform X.

Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women; they are safe here, and they should feel at home here, he added.

The development came after President Trump on Monday urged Australia to grant asylum to members of Iran’s national women’s soccer team, saying the players could face grave danger if forced to return to their country.

Trump later said he had spoken with Albanese about the issue.

Iran’s women national football team competed in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup hosted in Australia, drawing global attention after players staged a silent protest against Tehran’s government by standing silently during the national anthem before their opening match. The team was later eliminated from the tournament.