Two members of the Iranian women’s football team who claimed asylum in Australia have confirmed that their pivotal refusal to sing the national anthem during the Women’s Asian Cup in March was a protest against Tehran.

The first media interview with Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, 34, and Fatemeh Pasandideh, 22, since they abandoned their team to become refugees was broadcast Sunday on Australia’s “60 Minutes” current affairs program.

“We just wanted to stand with our people. I was scared at times, but I just tried to do what was right and say that no one should be killed just for protesting,” Ramezanisadeh told Nine Network through an interpreter.

The team was criticised in Iran and branded as traitors in the media there for remaining silent when the Iranian national anthem was played ahead of their opening loss against South Korea on March 2.

Some saw it as an act of resistance, while others interpreted it as a show of mourning following the U.S. and Israeli attacks on their homeland which began on February 28. The team offered no public explanation.

The gesture led to demonstrators demanding the team be offered asylum in Australia before leaving Sydney on March 10.

Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh said they were protesting Tehran’s brutal crackdown on nationwide demonstrations against Iran’s theocratic rule.

Ramezanisadeh said her silence “could have meant any form of torture” for her.

“But at that moment, the only thing that gave me peace and a clear conscience was not singing it. I wanted to sing the anthem with pride and from my heart. But because of the situation in Iran, I really couldn’t do it,” she said.

Pasandideh said through an interpreter of her own silence: “My people put their lives on the line and they were killed. Doing that was the absolute least we could do for them.” Australian Immigration Minister Tony Burke said none of the team had been offered asylum at that time.

“At that point, they had absolutely no information from us about the possibility of being able to stay,” Burke said.

“The silence of itself was deeply significant,” he said.

“The reaction was the volcanic moment.” The stakes were raised when U.S. President Donald Trump used social media to call for the team to be granted asylum and telephoned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the issue.

Albanese told Trump that four players and a team manager had at that stage accepted offers of humanitarian visas.

Seven members of the team eventually accepted Australia’s offer of asylum, but all soon changed their minds except for Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh. They both now play for the Wynnum Wolves semi-professional football team in the city of Brisbane and were made Australian citizens in August.

Ramezanisadeh said her parents had asked her to return under the instructions of Iranian authorities.

“They tried to reassure me, saying: Nothing will happen to you. This is your home. You must return home.’ But I told them my mind was made up and I was not coming back,” Ramezanisadeh said.

“Thinking that I might never be able to see my family again was heartbreaking, but I couldn’t allow myself to be indifferent while so many young people were being killed by this regime. I couldn’t stay silent, even though I miss my family so much,” she added.

Both women said they had not been in contact with their families in recent months, but understood relatives had not been punished.

Pasandideh said she had never asked her teammates whether they had wanted to return to Iran or had been forced to.

“We decided not to talk because I don’t want to put their lives in danger,” Pasandideh said.

“One of my biggest dreams is to be able to go back to Iran, but in different circumstances when the situation in Iran has changed and the people of Iran are happy and thriving. Then I will go back and see my family,” she added.

Iranian protesters will be treated as enemies if they support Tehran’s foes, the country’s top police officer warned, as the West Asia war sparked fears mass anti-government rallies could reignite.

“If anyone comes forward in line with the wishes of the enemy, we will no longer see them as merely a protester, we will see them as an enemy,” said national police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan in comments aired by state broadcaster IRIB late on Tuesday (March 10, 2026).

“And we will do to them what we do to an enemy. We will deal with them in the same way we deal with enemies,” he added.

“All our forces are also ready, with their hands on the trigger, prepared to defend their revolution.”

His warning comes after the government cracked down on anti-government protests in January, sparked a month before over economic grievances in the sanctions-hit country.

The authorities deemed the protests to be “riots” and Radan at one point issued an ultimatum to protesters to hand themselves in or face the full force of the law.

Iranian authorities acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths in the unrest, including members of the security forces and bystanders, but say the violence was caused by “terrorist acts” fuelled by Iran’s enemies.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), however, has recorded more than 7,000 killings in the crackdown, the vast majority protesters, though the toll may be far higher. More than 50,000 have been arrested, it says.

U.S. President Donald Trump had initially cheered on the protesters, threatening to intervene on their behalf as authorities launched a deadly crackdown, but his threats soon shifted to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Washington launched strikes with Israel on Iran on February 28, sparking retaliatory strikes by Tehran against Israel and U.S. bases across the Gulf region.

The U.N. human ​rights chief Volker Turk on Friday (February 27, 2026) called for an ‌immediate moratorium on the use of the ​death penalty in Iran, warning that ⁠dozens more people risk execution after the first death sentence linked to January mass protests was issued this ‌week.

“I am horrified by reports that at least eight people, including two ‌children, have been sentenced to death ‌in connection ⁠with the protests,” Mr. Turk said in ⁠a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, adding that another 30 people appeared to be at ​risk of the same ‌sentence.

A revolutionary court in Tehran issued a death sentence for an Iranian man accused of “enmity against god” which, if confirmed, would be ‌the first such sentence linked to ​mass protests in January, a source close to the man’s family said.

Rights groups ⁠say thousands of people were killed in a crackdown on the protests, the worst domestic ‌unrest in Iran since the era of its 1979 Islamic Revolution. During the unrest, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran that he could order military action if it carried out executions.

“I am extremely alarmed about the potential ‌for regional military escalation and its impact on civilians, ​and I hope the voice of reason prevails,” Mr. Turk said in the same ⁠speech.

Talks in Geneva on Thursday between the United ⁠States and Iran made progress over Tehran’s nuclear programme, mediator Oman said, but there ‌was no sign of a breakthrough that could avert potential U.S. strikes amid a ​massive military buildup. 

India is “closely monitoring” the situation in Iran and there are no reports of any Indian national missing or being killed during recent protests in that country, the government informed Parliament on Thursday (February 5, 2026).

In a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh also said the Indian Embassy in Tehran continues to be in “regular contact” with the Indian nationals, including students, in Iran, and is providing them suitable guidance.

The crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 6,876 people, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Also Read |What is happening in Iran? 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked about the number of Indians currently stranded in Iran amid the ongoing anti-government protests, the number of Indians successfully repatriated since the start of the agitation and the number of Indians missing or killed during the protests.

10,000 nationals live in Iran

“Based on current estimates, there are approximately 9,000-10,000 Indian nationals residing in Iran. The government does not consider them stranded, as Iranian airspace remains open and commercial flights are operating. The Embassy of India in Tehran is in regular contact with the community and continues to provide guidance and support,” Mr. Singh said.

He said “no evacuation” has taken place since Operation Sindhu in June 2025. “With commercial flights operating, Indian nationals wishing to return to India have been advised to use regular commercial air services,” he said.

The Minister further said that there are “no reports of any Indian national being missing or killed during the recent protests”.

The government issued travel advisories on January 5 and January 14, urging avoidance of non-essential travel to Iran and advising Indians in Iran to leave via commercial flights and stay alert, he added.

The embassy continues to assist, advise and guide Indian nationals as required, the government said.

The MEA was also asked about India’s “overarching diplomatic stance” with Iran. “The government is closely monitoring the situation in Iran,” Mr. Singh said.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday (January 29, 2026) he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal to avoid military action, adding that the U.S. “armada” near Iran was bigger than the one he dispatched to topple Venezuela’s leader.

“We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now, even larger than what we had in Venezuela,” the Republican President told reporters in the Oval Office.

“Hopefully, we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” he said.

When asked if he had given Iran a deadline to make a deal on its nuclear program, ballistic missiles and other issues, Mr. Trump said “yeah I have” but added that “only they know for sure” what it was.

Mr. Trump, however, cited what he said was Iran’s decision to halt executions of protesters – after a crackdown in which rights groups say more than 6,000 people were killed – as evidence to show Tehran was ready to comply.

“I can say this, they do want to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump declined to say whether, if Iran did not reach a deal, he planned a repeat of the dramatic operation in Venezuela in which U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro.

“I don’t want to talk about anything having to do with what I’m doing militarily,” he said.

Iranian authorities unveiled a new mural on a giant billboard in a central Tehran square on Sunday (January 25, 2026) with a direct warning to the United States to not attempt a military strike on the country, as U.S. warships head to the region.

The image shows a bird’s-eye view of an aircraft carrier with damaged and exploding fighter planes on its flight deck. The deck is strewn with bodies and streaked with blood that trails into the water behind the ship to form a pattern reminiscent of the stripes of the American flag. A slogan is emblazoned across one corner: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.” The unveiling of the mural in Enghelab Square comes as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and accompanying warships move toward the region. US President Donald Trump has said the ships are being moved “just in case” he decides to take action.

“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Mr. Trump said on Thursday (January 22).

Enghelab Square is used for gatherings called by the state and authorities change its mural based on national occasions. On Saturday (January 24), the commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned that his force is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger.”

Tension between the U.S. and Iran has spiked in the wake of a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that saw thousands of people killed and tens of thousands arrested. Mr. Trump had threatened military action if Iran continued to kill peaceful protesters or carried out mass executions of those detained.

There have been no further protests for days and Mr. Trump claimed recently that Tehran had halted the planned execution of about 800 arrested protesters — a claim Iran’s top prosecutor called “completely false.”

But Mr. Trump has indicated he is keeping his options open, saying on Thursday (January 22) that any military action would make last June’s U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites “look like peanuts.”

U.S. Central Command said on social media that its Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle now has a presence in the Middle East, noting the fighter jet “enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability.”

Similarly, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said on Thursday (January 22) that it deployed its Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar “in a defensive capacity.”

The protests in Iran began on Dec 28, sparked by the fall of the Iranian currency, the rial, and quickly spread across the country. They were met by a violent crackdown by Iran’s theocracy, which does not tolerate dissent.

The death toll reported by activists has continued to rise since the end of the demonstrations, as information trickles out despite a more than two-week internet blackout — the most comprehensive in Iran’s history.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Sunday (January 25) put the death toll at 5,848, with the number expected to increase. It says more than 41,280 people have been arrested.

The group’s figures have been accurate in previous unrest and rely on a network of activists in Iran to verify deaths. That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest there in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify the toll.

Iran’s government has put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labelled the rest “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out ‍war against us,” a senior Iranian official said ​on Friday (January 23, 2026), ahead of the arrival of ‌a U.S. military aircraft carrier strike group ​and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days.

“This military buildup – we hope it is not intended for real confrontation – but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high ​alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, ⁠speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This time we will treat any attack – limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it – as ​an all-out war against ⁠us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday ‌(January 22, 2026) that the United States had an “armada” heading toward ‌Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed ‍warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program.

“If the Americans violate Iran’s ‍sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond,” said the Iranian official. He declined to specify what an Iranian response might look like.

“A country under constant military threat from the United States has no option but to ensure that everything at its disposal can be used to push back and, ⁠if possible, restore balance against anyone who dares to attack Iran,” the official said.

The U.S. ​military has in the past periodically sent increased forces ⁠to the Middle East at times of heightened tensions, moves that were often defensive. However, the U.S. military staged a major buildup last year ahead of its June strikes ⁠against Iran’s nuclear program.

The Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday (January 22, 2026) warned Israel and the U.S. against “miscalculations” in the wake of mass protests, saying the force had its “finger on the trigger”.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly left open the option of new military action against the Islamic Republic after Washington backed and joined Israel’s 12-day war in June.

A fortnight of protests starting in late December shook the clerical leadership under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the movement has petered out in the face of a crackdown that activists say has left thousands dead.

Guards Commander General Mohammad Pakpour warned Israel and the United States “to avoid any miscalculations, by learning from historical experiences and what they learned in the 12-day imposed war, so that they do not face a more painful and regrettable fate”.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever, ready to carry out the orders and measures of the supreme Commander-in-Chief — a leader dearer than their own lives,” he said, referring to Mr. Khamenei.

His comments came in a written statement quoted by state television marking the national day in Iran to celebrate the Guards, a force whose mission is to protect the 1979 Islamic revolution from internal and external threats.

Activists accuse the Guards of playing a frontline role in the deadly crackdown on protests. The group is sanctioned as a terrorist entity by countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, and campaigners have long urged similar moves from the EU and UK.

Mr. Pakpour took over as Guards Commander last year after his predecessor Hossein Salami was one of several key military figures killed in an Israeli strike during the 12-day war, losses which revealed Israel’s deep intelligence penetration of the Islamic republic.

Giving their first official toll from the protests, Iranian authorities on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) said 3,117 people were killed.

The statement from the Islamic Republic’s Foundation for Martyrs and Veterans sought to draw a distinction between “martyrs”, who it said were members of security forces and innocent bystanders, and what it described as “rioters” backed by the U.S..

Of its toll of 3,117, it said 2,427 people were martyrs.

However, rights groups say the heavy toll was caused by security forces firing directly on protesters and that the actual number of those killed could be far higher and even extend to over 20,000.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said “the future for the Iranian people can only be in a regime change”, adding that “the Ayatollah regime is in quite a fragile situation”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister will not be attending the Davos summit in Switzerland this week, the organisers said on Monday (January 19, 2026), stressing it would not be “right” after the recent deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran.

Abbas Araghchi had been scheduled to speak on Tuesday (January 20) during the annual gathering of the global elite at the upscale Swiss ski resort town.

But activists have been calling on the World Economic Forum organisers to disinvite him amid what rights groups have called a “massacre” in his country.

“The Iranian Foreign Minister will not be attending Davos,” the World Economic Forum said on X.

“Although he was invited last fall, the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks means that it is not right for the Iranian government to be represented at Davos this year,” it added.

Demonstrations sparked by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests late December in what has been widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in recent years.

The rallies subsided after a government crackdown under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within the Islamic Republic’s health and medical system, witnesses and independent sources.

The NGO warned that the true toll is likely to be far higher. Media cannot independently confirm the figure, and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll.