Iranian women's football team captain becomes latest squad member set to return home after changing mind on Australia asylum deal
The decision led to them being branded "war traitors" in Iran.
A fifth member of the Iranian women's football team will return to the Middle East despite being granted a humanitarian visa to stay in Australia.
Listen to this article
Seven Iranian footballers were granted visas for Australia last week following an asylum deal amid the Middle East war.
The group said they feared persecution if they returned home after they opted not to sing the national anthem during a Women's Asian Cup match.
Zahra Ghanbari, the 34-year-old captain of the team, has become the fifth member of that delegation to change her mind on the decision.
On Sunday, human rights activists in the Iranian diaspora named the others as Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, Mona Hamoudi, and Zahra Sarbali.
Read more: Conor McGregor blasted online after 'cringe' social media post over Iran war
According to the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the three had “given up on their asylum application in Australia and are currently heading to Malaysia”.
They posted a picture of the women allegedly boarding a plane.
On Monday, spokesperson for the office of home minister Tony Burke confirmed that another team member had departed late last night.
The recent change of mind means that of the seven who initially said they wanted to remain in Australia, only two now remain as defectors.
They are the defender and former captain Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, 33, and 21-year-old midfielder Fatemeh Pasandideh.
Iranian state media has hailed the move as a victory against “psychological warfare”, but reports suggested the team had faced pressure from the regime in Tehran.
Many expressed concern over the wellbeing of the Iranian team after they were silent for the country's anthem in their opening Asian Cup match against South Korea on March 2.
The decision led to them being branded "war traitors" in Iran.
After the incident, Australia's home affairs minister said his government had done everything it could to ensure the women were given the chance to have a safe future.
Five of the players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, slipped away from the team hotel under the cover of darkness to claim asylum in Australia.
A sixth player and a support staffer claimed asylum before the rest of the team flew out of Sydney last week.
The Iranian team has been in Australia participating in a football tournament, held in the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland, when the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.
The initial attack killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has launched missiles and drones towards Israel and four Gulf Arab countries which host US military bases - Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Since then, over 1000 people have been killed since the war began- including around 150 schoolgirls who were inside a primary school in the Iranian city of Minab.