Australia grants citizenship to 2 Iranian women’s soccer players who sought asylum

Two Iranian women’s soccer players, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, have been granted Australian citizenship. The pair, who were members of the Iranian national team, sought asylum in Australia following the Asian Cup in March. They were sworn in by Immigration Minister Tony Burke on Thursday.

The decision to grant citizenship follows the athletes' claims that they faced potential reprisals from the Iranian government had they returned to their home country. The naturalization process concludes their asylum claims initiated earlier this year.