Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled former crown prince, has called on the Australia government to ensure the safety of the Iranian women’s football team, after its exit from the Women’s Asian Cup on Sunday night.
Video posted to social media showed protesters against the Iranian regime surrounding the team’s bus and yelling “save our girls,” as the players left the stadium on Queensland’s Gold Coast after their 0-2 loss to the Philippines.
Supporters fear that any return to Iran will put the women in danger after state media labeled them “traitors” for standing silent during the Iranian national anthem before a match last Monday.
The act, which was interpreted as a gesture of defiance against the regime, came two days after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
“As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime’s national anthem, they face dire consequences should they return to Iran,” Pahlavi posted on X. “I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support.”
Sources told CNN that the team was forced to salute and sing the Iranian national anthem on Thursday ahead of the group stage match against host Australia. The women also sang the anthem and gave a military salute before Sunday’s defeat.
Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari told reporters after the Sunday match that the team was keen to return home. “Personally, I would like to return to my country as soon as possible and be with my compatriots and family,” she said.
For the Iranian team, any flight home would be fraught with danger and delay, given airspace closures. But having angered Iran’s leaders, supporters say they face an even greater risk of being punished for “treason.”
When asked on Sunday if there’d been any contact between Australian officials and the Iranian players, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she didn’t want to “get into commentary about the Iranian women’s team.”
“We stand in solidarity with the men and women of Iran and particularly Iranian women and girls,” she told the ABC.