Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran and a leader of the Iranian opposition, is based in the US.
He has weighed in on the Iranian footballers who have been in Australia for the Asian Cup. He says he fears for the women who did not take up the offer of asylum in Australia.
“I want the world to understand what is happening to the women on that flight,” he writes. “Their families have already been threatened. The regime’s attorney-general urged them to ‘return with calm and confidence’, language every Iranian recognises as a warning.
“The women who went back are not safe. The regime may stage a public reconciliation. Do not believe it. The Islamic Republic’s pattern is consistent: threats first, a performance of mercy, then quiet retribution once the cameras move on.
“These women are part of a pattern that should shame every international sporting body into action.”
You can read more from Pahlavi here.
