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Iranian authorities accorded a hero's welcome to the national women's football team upon their return from Australia, where several members had briefly sought asylum before withdrawing their applications, Al Jazeera reported.
According to Al Jazeera, six players and one staff member had applied for asylum during the Women's Asian Cup earlier this month, drawing criticism from hardliners in Iran after the team did not sing the national anthem before their opening match. However, five of them later reversed their decision and returned home with the squad, including captain Zahra Ghanbari. Their situation had drawn international attention, particularly amid the ongoing tensions involving Iran, as per Al Jazeera. As per Al Jazeera, thousands of people gathered at Valiasr Square in central Tehran, with many waving Iranian flags, according to visuals aired on state television. The square has also hosted several pro-government rallies in recent weeks. A large billboard at the venue displayed the message, "My Choice. My Homeland," alongside images of the players in national jerseys and mandatory hijabs, saluting the Iranian flag, Al Jazeera reported. According to Al Jazeera, speaking at the event, Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj said, "What is certain is that these athletes are loyal to the homeland, flag, leader and revolution." As per Al Jazeera, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani also welcomed the team, saying, "All Iranians were waiting for you; welcome to Iran." Meanwhile, Iran has called on countries in West Asia to prevent the United States from using military bases in their own territories. These bases are the "root cause" of the current crisis and are being used for operations against Tehran, claimed Iran. The government has warned that such actions would amount to complicity in aggression.Ismail Baghaei, the official spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, described the remarks made by the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia at the Arab-Islamic countries' summit as "unfair, one-sided, and contrary to the requirements of a responsible approach toward regional developments."He said, "No party can ignore the clear fact that the root cause of the current crisis in the region is the imposed war by America and the Zionist regime," Baghaei said, adding that these countries were using "military bases and facilities stationed in regional countries to plan, execute, and support their aggressive actions against Iran." (ANI)
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