Five players from Iran's women's football team have escaped from their handlers at a Gold Coast hotel, as US President Donald Trump joined the voices urging Australia to grant the whole team asylum.
The women, who are now under police protection, fear persecution if they return home after being labelled traitors for not singing the national anthem at the Asian Cup in Queensland.
Trump said Australia was "making a terrible humanitarian mistake" if the women were "forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed".
READ MORE: Australia hit by $90 billion wipeout in worst trading day in a year
"Don't do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM," Trump posted on Truth Social just after 1am (AEDT).
"The US will take them if you won't. Thank you for your attention to this matter."
About two hours later, Trump said he had spoken with Albanese and "He's on it!"
"Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way. Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don't return," Trump said in another Truth Social post just before 3am (AEDT).
"In any event, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!"
There has been no official confirmation of how the women had been "taken care of" by Australian authorities.
Albanese, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Australian Federal Police have been contacted for comment.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVqccXtDX9D/
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi was also monitoring the developments on the Gold Coast.
Pahlavi, who lives in the US and is seen by a large number of Iranians as the rightful leader as opposed to the Islamic dictatorship that took power in 1979, thanked Trump for his message urging Albanese to act.
Pahlavi's office said the "five courageous athletes" who had escaped were in a safe location and "have announced that they have joined Iran's national Lion and Sun Revolution", the opposition group with Pahlavi at its head.
'I cried, this is amazing, amazing news'
Whilst only five of the team's players had been able to escape, it was hoped more would join them, Iranian Society of Queensland vice president Hadi Karimi told 9news.com.au.
"It was amazing, mate," Karimi said after it emerged that the five women were free.
"I cried, this is amazing, amazing news."
Karimi could not say how the five women had escaped from their hotel last night but it was hoped more of the players would be able to join them in the coming hours.
READ MORE: Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader?
The five who were being protected by police were Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi, Karimi said.
"[They] have left the team's training camp and successfully sought refuge in Australia," he said in a post on Instagram.
"These five courageous athletes, currently in a safe location, have announced that they have joined Iran's national Lion and Sun Revolution."
Karimi said a group of volunteers would remain at the hotel throughout the night, ready to help if any other of the players managed to leave.
Concerns had grown for the footballers since Sunday night when it was claimed at least one of the women made "a sign for help" as the team bus left Gold Coast Stadium after their Asian Cup campaign ended.
More than 50,000 people have signed a petition urging the Australian government to step in.
Earlier on Monday, Professional Footballers Australia boss Beau Busch said efforts to speak to Iranian players had been in vain.
"The reality at the moment is that we're unable to get in touch with the players," Busch told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"That's incredibly concerning, that's not a new thing, that's really been since the repression really dialled up in this – sort of February, January etc.
"So we're really concerned about the players, but our responsibility right now is to do everything within our power to try and make sure that they're safe."
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong would not comment at the weekend on the specific cases of the women seeking asylum.
"We know this regime has brutally murdered many of its own people. We know this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women and we stand in solidarity with the men and women of Iran and particularly Iranian women and girls," she said.
"I don't want to get into commentary about the Iranian women's team."
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
- Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
- Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
- Sign up to our breaking newsletter here
