Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad is sounding the alarm and urging the Australian government to step in before it’s too late.
According to Alinejad, members of Iran women’s national football team may now be in serious jeopardy after they reportedly refused to sing the Islamic Republic’s national anthem — an act she described as a bold rejection of the regime in the tense aftermath of the reported killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
The players’ decision, Alinejad argues, was more than a symbolic protest. It was an unmistakable statement against the ruling authorities in Iran, where dissent often carries severe consequences.
And according to the activist, the backlash was immediate.
State-run media reportedly blasted the athletes, labeling them “war-time traitors,” a phrase that in Iran’s political climate carries ominous implications. Soon after, the team was placed on transportation headed back to the country.
But the most unsettling moment, Alinejad says, came during that journey. From inside the vehicle taking them home, the players allegedly held up a silent plea for help — flashing what Alinejad described as the internationally recognized SOS hand signal through the bus window.
The gesture prompted the journalist to make an urgent public appeal, calling on Australia to intervene before the athletes return to a system known for punishing dissent.
“Hello Australia, this is your moment. We need your support. Iran’s women’s football team refused to sing the regime’s anthem right after the killing of Ali Khamenei,” Alinejad wrote in a post on X.
“State TV called them ‘war-time traitors.’ Now they’re on a bus back to Iran, flashing the SOS hand signal through the window.” She then issued a direct plea to officials in Canberra. “I call on [the] Australian government…Don’t send them back to danger. Please give them protection,” Alinejad added.
