The United States and Australia’s political tug of war against Iran over the fates of seven members of the Iranian women’s football squad appears to have ended with the depleted team returning home minus the two players who defected last week.Critics now say politics trumped concern for the women’s best interests as the drama played out. The evidence is that of seven Iranian women who initially accepted asylum in Australia, five changed their minds within days and returned to their country for reasons undisclosed.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listCritics argue the outcome might have been different had the women been provided with independent legal advice earlier and the process not been so rushed.“We ended up with an outcome that is certainly far from ideal,” said Graham Thom, advocacy coordinator for the Refugee Council of Australia, a nonprofit umbrella organisation representing asylum seekers.“Hopefully, the two who are remaining get the protection they need, but we just hope that those who have returned are also safe,” he added.Iran has claimed victory in the extraordinary public relations battle that played out since Immigration Minister Tony Burke released to the media on March 10 a photo of him posing with five women who had accepted protection visas.He said the women, who all appeared without head coverings, were happy for their names and images to be released to the media.Refugee advocates were alarmed, asking if women raised under an oppressive regime could be expected to question …
