ListNook

GastricallyStretched Mar 15, 2026 +980

The word "decide" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

980

simplemav Mar 16, 2026 +39

"Decide" means their families are being held hostage.

39

SadFeed63 Mar 15, 2026 +149

There was a death where I'm from, years and years back, where these dumb fucks think the house they're going to rob is empty, but it wasn't, so being the dumb fucks that they are, they decided their only solution was to attempt to beat the home owner to death. In order to try to get away from them, the home owner jumps out the second story window and sadly dies shortly after (the head dumb f*** got beaten to death in prison a little while back, not that it brings the innocent back). I guess Sky News here would say he simply "decided" to jump out the window. No better word for that than "decide," right, news orgs? Just like there's apparently no better word for *girls* raped by the powerful than "women." Funny (not the haha kind) how that works, eh?

149

Trivale Mar 15, 2026 +8

It's almost like headlines don't tell the full story.

8

FerricDonkey Mar 16, 2026 +16

No, but they should strive to give the right impression. The English language has many useful phrases such as "forced to", "pressured to", etc etc.

16

Trivale Mar 16, 2026 -2

That would be an opinion, unfortunately. The claim that they were forced is unsubstantiated. Even if "everyone knows" they're being forced, it's not an established fact (yet) and we have no way other than vibes of knowing whether it's truly consensual. You report what you can demonstrate, not what you suspect.

-2

FandomCallsToMe Mar 16, 2026 +7

Is saying “decided” not also an opinion then? Especially given the context?

7

NotYourGa1Friday Mar 18, 2026

So why chose a word that implies consent such as, “decided?”

0

Trivale Mar 18, 2026 +2

It doesn't imply consent. It implies a decision was made. Decisions can be made without consent. It's called "coercion." Implying consent would be saying something like "Iran women's football players willingly choose to return home."

2

NotYourGa1Friday Mar 18, 2026 -1

Then you wouldn’t say that they “decided” you would say that they were “coerced” There are better, more accurate, ways of reporting on this. For these women to “decide” to end their amnesty bids, it implies that the women had the time and data to analyze all options and come to a fact-based conclusion. While a decision can be made in the absence of choice, it still eludes to an agency through control over the timing of decision-making.

-1

Trivale Mar 18, 2026 +1

Yes, you would say "coerced" if you were giving your opinion on the matter, not just reporting the facts of the event. But headlines and news in general shouldn't be opinions (outside the opinions section, which is what that section is for, to keep it out of real news). I know it's hard for most people, especially in the US, to understand what journalistic integrity looks like. But not every media outlet is Fox News Entertainment. Some of them are actual journalists. You're making an assessment based on how you feel about the situation. Journalists who do that and put it in a headline are trash and trying to emotionally bait people. Report what you know and what you can prove. Not what you think is going on. Nothing alludes to agency about saying "someone decided to do a thing." It allows people to acquire the information, maybe understand the nuance, and form their own opinions, just like you're doing. Neutral language avoids injecting personal, non-observable thoughts and opinions into a headline that people are already going to be making up their own minds about anyways. TL;DR: If you cannot independently verify a claim with evidence to back it up, do not put it in a headline. Do not be Fox News.

1

NotYourGa1Friday Mar 18, 2026

lol you think I’m being Fox News because I, along with many others, think the wording here is weak? I am not in the US. I am not making an assessment based on how I feel, I am making one based on currently available evidence. Journalists make such calls every day. Take a breath and touch grass my friend, I think you are getting all worked up over semantics

0

Kitchen_Letter8775 Mar 15, 2026 -199

Not everything that you don’t like is a lie.

-199

GastricallyStretched Mar 15, 2026 +57

I did not claim anything to be a lie. The headline is technically factual. I implied that their decision to return was made under duress.

57

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +43

[removed]

43

Quadrassic_Bark Mar 16, 2026 -14

Do you think everything you don’t like is a lie?

-14

Square_Level4633 Mar 16, 2026 -2

Your English is so good where are you from? Isreal?

-2

Soberdonkey69 Mar 15, 2026 +190

Their families were likely threatened.

190

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +399

[removed]

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[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 -11

[deleted]

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[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +18

[removed]

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[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 -20

[deleted]

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[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +9

[removed]

9

NightWriter500 Mar 15, 2026 -14

It doesn’t seem like you read any of this correctly.

-14

PovasTheOne Mar 15, 2026 +13

Wtf are you even saying? Most Iranians are unhappy with the regime. Did Maga force these ladies to not participate in the anthem? Any f****** government at war with another government would use the aforementioned governments unhappy citizens to support their war. These ladies put themselves in a lose/lose situation the moment they showed ‘disrespect’ to Iran’s regime anthem. And it was all over social media without any help from Maga affiliates

13

Unlikely_Tax_1111 Mar 15, 2026 -3

Don't waste you're time with these comments..there's at least a handful every thread. I've worked with a few folks that constantly complained about trump every single f****** day. Even in his first term..I'd walk into the office and this dude would have whatever news pulled up and essentially start his f****** day talking about trump to whomever walks into his cube or his neighbors...it's exhausting

-3

Ashamed-Reaction-548 Mar 15, 2026 +4

Kind of hard not to talk about him because he constantly puts himself in the news. Trump is a f****** POS that is literally bankrupting this country. You should not be defending such a horrible human being. People should not be pretending that they know that most of the people hate the regime in Iran. It is a mixture of support and hatred of the regime. There were awfully big protests of support after the bombings at the school and then the ceremony for the regime members that were killed. Did you even watch? No exhausting is watching this scumbag destroy this country with poor decisions and even more debt. He has alienated all of our allies except Israel. By the way Israel is just as bad as Iran and are ironically taking over more land. Get the f*** out of the middle east. This country is full of stupid brainwashed hypocrites.

4

light_white_seamew Mar 15, 2026 +5

> People should not be pretending that they know that most of the people hate the regime in Iran. I really think this sort of thing is part of the reason people like Trump or W. Bush get into disastrous wars. They believe their own propaganda. I feel like every time there are protests in Iran, the media insists "This time it's different. This time it's bigger. This time the regime is really going to fall." Needless to say, they've been wrong every time. I've come to realize that no matter how destructive a government is, it will always have a faithful core of supporters. I'm sure many, maybe even a large majority, of Iranians oppose the regime, but I have no doubt that millions continue to support it, just as millions support Trump, Putin, Orban, Netanyahu, Erdogan, et al.

5

Unlikely_Tax_1111 Mar 15, 2026

No way did I defend him but you can deduce whatever you want from my comment if you replied like that im sure you and my former coworker could discuss trump all day especially since he got fired for performance reasons (wonder why). You can dislike someone and not talk about them every waking moment. It's simply not healthy.

0

Kitchen_Letter8775 Mar 15, 2026 -273

Or maybe some people prefer to live with their families??

-273

InappropriateTA Mar 15, 2026 +192

You mean some people prefer their families to live?

192

Top_Report_4895 Mar 16, 2026 +6

This, my man

6

Equivalent_Range6291 Mar 17, 2026 +1

Well theres now over one thousand innocent family members wiped out by the good oul US of A. With that stat alone the US Gov has made an a****** out of you & your statement .. Good luck explaining to your Grandkids how you support an Illegal war & are fine happy about your own Gov aiding & abetting a Genocide.

1

InappropriateTA Mar 17, 2026 +2

I didn’t say any of what you’re implying. The US has been in the wrong across the globe for a long long long long time. I’m not defending anything they did or have done in any way. Not sure how that makes me an a******. There can be two bad actors in this scenario, and there potentially are. The US absolutely is in the wrong. And threats to the athletes’ families would also be wrong.

2

Equivalent_Range6291 Mar 17, 2026 +1

Thank you, enjoy your day.

1

Kitchen_Letter8775 Mar 15, 2026 -183

Sure, make unfounded accusations if that makes you cope better with the reality you don’t like.

-183

PSA-Graded-Cunt Mar 15, 2026 +54

Isn't that what you did though? Unless you have irrefutable proof of what you said is fact, which I very much doubt you have? Correct me if I'm wrong, however.

54

Quadrassic_Bark Mar 16, 2026 +6

I defended you other comment about not everything you don’t like being a lie, but it’s pretty obvious they didn’t decide, in the middle of their country being bombed, to go back to Iran of their own free will. Threatening the families of people who flee their country is beyond common for authoritarian states. See the USSR and N Korea for well known examples.

6

acuteindifference Mar 16, 2026 -7

Do you have some examples of any states having rapists and pedophiles in power who keep bombing one country after another for the last 80 years? Millions dead or brutalised from Vietnam to Libya. Dropping Agent Orange on farms and forests. Enabling a live streamed genocide for the last 3 years. Wiping out an entire continent's native population. Kidnapping and enslaving millions of Africans. Overthrowing democratically elected governments in every corner of the world. Zero accountability to their public except some farcical pretense of democracy. Maybe you should use them as examples of bad states instead of USSR that hasn't existed for close to 40 years now.

-7

GummiRat Mar 16, 2026 +1

I'm curious, do you have any sources of US asylum seekers having their family threatened by the govt. Or are you just generating false equivalencies like a good bot/troll?

1

insanekos Mar 16, 2026 +1

Im just leaving this comment so I can read your reply to question below. Guy literally coocked you, holy smokes.

1

Quadrassic_Bark Mar 17, 2026 +1

Your entire comment is irrelevant to my point.

1

N0stradama5 Mar 16, 2026 +5

If they prefer to live with their families why announce they are staying?

5

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 -40

[removed]

-40

Quadrassic_Bark Mar 16, 2026 +3

Possible, but incredibly unlikely.

3

Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -274

Every time I read this type of comment I ask myself is it a real guy or a bot. The educated guess I come up with is: probably a bot.

-274

Sevinki Mar 15, 2026 +165

So you doubt that the regime that just killed thousands of protestors would threaten some families?

165

Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -117

I’d really like to have a serious conversation with you. So let’s start here, are you aware of the Mossad agents present in Iran? Are u aware that they have infiltrated the Iranian regime? Are u aware that they recruit Afghan people living in Iran. To clarify, I’m saying that the regime isn’t responsible for anything. But I want to know how much you know about the situation.

-117

Sevinki Mar 15, 2026 +44

Im aware of that, but whats your point?

44

Nktmma Mar 15, 2026 +33

Tell me you’re braindead without telling me you’re braindead

33

Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -6

Explain the logic behind his pov

-6

barf_seller Mar 15, 2026 +40

Lol, you have any idea what the IRGC does to people and families branded as traitors? Jk, you probably do, as you're probably typing this from a regime office

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Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -4

Well, the answer is no for both questions. Will u be kind enough to tell me?

-4

OddlyFactual1512 Mar 15, 2026 +9

Every time I read a comment like yours, I know it's a bot.

9

Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -2

Is there a reason for that? Do you know what triggered you? Are u willing to face it? U will most probably ignore this comment, which is fine. But at least (for future reference) know what you think, and why. Don’t have beliefs and opinions that have been programmed into u, actively choose what u want to believe in. Also, ur joke ain’t funny.

-2

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +14

[removed]

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Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -1

You know the weird thing here, it’s the voting system, it gets used to push certain narratives, which lead you to think that u are right. But you should know that having upvotes (weather real people or bots) doesn’t mean your right. If u are willing to have an actual conversation where we discuss the facts, id be delighted.

-1

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +16

[removed]

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too_broke_to_quit Mar 15, 2026 -63

Real person likely, just focused on psy-ops to sway public opinion.

-63

Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -1

The funny thing is the upvotes he gets, and the downvotes we get, is it fair to say the numbers are inflated by bots?

-1

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +18

Hi 👋 Real person here, I downvoted every single one of you pushing some insane, false idea that the Iranian regime is just a bunch of misunderstood good guys. You're the left version of Trump. Delusional, idiotic, loud. Obsessed with a deep state when the very real fucked up state of things is staring you in the face and youre too lazy to learn about it because that would give you some responsibility to actually do something. You and MAGA look the exact same to me. Neither of you deserve a platform.

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Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -2

Since u have the exact same idea as most of the people replying to me. I’ll just paste my reply to someone else: You reply is my main problem with the internet. So let me give you some context, then you can start yapping. Iran has a region called Arabistan, it was its own country in the past, but now it’s in Iran, bordering Kuwait and Iraq. My distant relatives are from there. They live there. Arabistans population is made up of Sunni Arabs living under the Iranian regime. And I talk to my family members, cause I actually care about them. The “TikTok” information I get is from actual people who were born there, grew up there, the same as their fathers and their fathers. That’s why I’m kinda annoyed in this post’s comments. People come here and start talking as if they know everything, when it’s so obviously clear that they have been fed the information they’re saying by the same media that ignored the whole Epstein situation. So before you start looking at others, look at the mirror.

-2

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +11

Educate me. You have family from Iran but you dont believe the Iranian regime is threatening these womens' families to force them to return. Why?

11

Ok_Climate8599 Mar 15, 2026 -1

First of all, I’m surprised that u actually are open to learning. Which is really good. Secondly, I do not know if they did it or not. Personally, I don’t see why they would go out of their way to get back a few women while they are at war with the strongest country in the world. But I’m just here to say that the regime isn’t as bad as y’all think. You believe those stories without hesitation because all u hear about Iran is fake propaganda. My goal isn’t to stand with Iran, nor to defend them, but to get the people to think through their own fcking mind. Iran was sanctioned absurdly for many years, their people are suffering and living a difficult life because of the US sanctions. Yet when Trump (the guy who rapes and eats kids) tells u he will get rid of the regime that “oppresses women” you believe him. Thats crazy

-1

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +8

Trump assaults women. It's bad enough. Raping and eating children has proliferated on the internet from some of the least trustworthy sources in the Epstein files. It spread because of shock value and somehow that has become muddled with truth. The truth here was plenty bad. I've watched it turn from a genuine campaign for Justice into a politicized talking point used to shut down any meaningful discourse. Most recently, by Iran. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/irans-top-security-official-claims-epstein-linked-network-plotting-9/11like-attack-to-frame-tehran/articleshow/129591404.cms I dont engage in epstein shit anymore. It has been used and abused past any possibility of good intent. No one wants justice for those victims anymore. They want to use them (again) to make their points. What fake propaganda, specifically, have we heard about Iran? Killing protesters? Jailing political opponents? Instituting information blackouts for the citizens? Crashing the economy? Why did 1.6 million Iranians seek political asylum as of 2021? Why was Iran threatening and isolating the men's football team at the world cup in 2022? Why did both the men and the womens' team refuse to sing the Iranian national anthem on a world stage? Hell - why were these women seeking asylum in the first place? This is not about Trump. Trump's a fuckhead. A symbol of all the US's supreme arrogance that fucked up the middle east for the last 4 decades. This is about the women who stood up to a regime that, unless you can answer my questions above, deserves standing up to. Pro-regime is 1 voice of the Iranian people. Anti-regime is another, and considering the information blackouts, it deserved its day in our fucked up callous ass news cycle that focuses more on gas prices than what Iranians need to rebuild. I am sorry your family is caught up in this. I do not support this war. I wish the US had half the courage and the fortitude of the Iranian people.

8

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 -146

[deleted]

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[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +59

[removed]

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Hour-Passenger-8513 Mar 15, 2026 -74

That how CIA works. Manipulates people and create friction between foreign countries govts and their civilians.

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[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 -65

[deleted]

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Souljapig1 Mar 16, 2026 +3

Oh, so your point was just racism then… who could’ve guessed🤦‍♂️

3

Equivalent_Range6291 Mar 16, 2026

I dont think your good at spotting sarcasm.

0

Souljapig1 Mar 16, 2026

*Deletes comment out of shame and still fumbles to correct people with the wrong “you’re”* 😂 Racists are entirely predictable

0

Equivalent_Range6291 Mar 17, 2026

I saw that comment coming (i.e.entirely predictable) .. It seems your projecting again which is completely ridiculous considering you have no idea of what race i am. My guess is your a member of the White Clan race with their Invisible Empire .. Have a great day Dragon Master.

0

joelluber Mar 15, 2026 +20

Why would the CIA not want them to defect?

20

Equivalent_Range6291 Mar 15, 2026 -27

Trump would have loved them to have defected to the US & not Australia so\`s he could have held them up like Mascots & parading them to goad Iran.

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SlapThatAce Mar 15, 2026 +306

"if you don't return, your family is dead" Western Media "More Iran women's football players decide to return home"

306

Pterocacti Mar 16, 2026 +4

you think the media should report that their families were threatened despite having no evidence that it happened? they should say it just based on feelings?

4

pauloss_palos Mar 15, 2026 +79

What are you talking about? Western media is heavily biased against Iran.

79

Legally_a_Tool Mar 15, 2026 +58

I don’t like this war. I don’t like Trump or his enablers. I also don’t like Iran’s tyrannical and theocratic government. I hope one day Iran is free, a democracy, and the U.S. and Iran can be friends. I do not weep for any of the Iranian leaders, IRGC, Basij, or morality police who have met their maker. I hope and pray as few Iranian citizens are harmed by our bombs and missiles as possible. You can hold all these thoughts at the same time. You do not need to be pro Iranian government in order to be against this war. Stop being a sucker for propaganda from either side.

58

el_kabong909 Mar 16, 2026 +3

Well the reason Iran has a tyrannical theocratic government is because the U.S. and Britain didn’t like how their free democracy was dealing with western companies exploiting their resources. What makes you think an Iran that advocates for its sovereignty will be acceptable to the powers that be here?

3

Legally_a_Tool Mar 16, 2026 +12

The reason Iran is a theocracy is because the theocrats betrayed the secularists in the Iranian revolution and slaughtered them. If the theocrats actually created a government representative of the Iranian people, they would have incorporated the liberals and socialists who joined them in overthrowing the Shah in a pluralistic government. Also, excusing the Iranian government for its oppression because of a Western-supported coup in the 1950s is a pretty weak argument. No one forced the theocrats to become authoritarian. I’m not excusing US actions in the 1950s or now. I just find the messages supportive of the current government of Iran by some on the Left (broadly speaking) bizarre. I am against this war as well, but don’t lionize the Iranian government or its security forces. They don’t deserve sympathy— the Iranian people do.

12

el_kabong909 Mar 16, 2026 +7

I don’t think I said anything in support of the current Iranian government. I just pointed out that the last time Iran had something resembling what you’re advocating for, we staged a coup that has eventually led to the current situation. My question is why do you think it will be different this time?

7

Legally_a_Tool Mar 16, 2026

I don’t know if it will end poorly or well. I have my doubts that this war will be beneficial to the Iranian people or the wider region. But I do hope I’m wrong and it works out, even if I dislike the idea of Trump getting a “win” on this war. My biggest fear if it works out is that Trump will pull this shit again on another country (e.g., Cuba). Trump is becoming more erratic as his and Republicans’ political situation worsens approaching the midterms.

0

el_kabong909 Mar 16, 2026 +2

It certainly seems like that’s the plan at this point.

2

FormerlyJanet Mar 16, 2026 +2

Thank you thank you thank you for giving me some hope today. I hope you aren’t Iranian, because it seems these days only Iranians are holding all these thoughts at once. And yes, some of us are crazed loud and wrong as well. But not most. You can name any race and they have a segment of people like this.

2

NetSixandChill15 Mar 16, 2026 +9

There’s just some inorganic brigading going on all over, it’s wild

9

MyMonody Mar 15, 2026 -21

Western media is too big of an umbrella to make that kind of statement. Are you watching Fox News or reading the most upvoted articles on Reddit? The commentary will be vastly different

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Damnatus_Terrae Mar 15, 2026 +22

And neither will offer Iranian perspectives.

22

Shahariar_909 Mar 15, 2026 -12

Those are delusional people and nothing will enter their think skull.

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MelodicPudding2557 Mar 15, 2026 -20

Western media was biased against the Nazis and the Japanese Empire. Most sources are biased to some extent, but it doesn’t mean that there is no truth at all. Besides, as u/MyMonody notes, ‘Western media’ encompasses a very wide range of sources with large variance in partisan leanings.

-20

chikuzen78 Mar 15, 2026 +19

Oy vey, western media is well known for being controlled by Shia Clerics who do yearly pilgrimages to Mashad to kiss the tomb of Imam Reza and pledge allegiance to the Islamic Republic of Iran

19

Evenstar6132 Mar 16, 2026 +1

That's still a decision. To save one's family over personal freedom. A very brave one I should add, because these women are basically walking into a death trap.

1

CraftyPerformance272 Mar 15, 2026 +38

So basically their friends and family were threatened by the government

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TheGreatDomilies Mar 16, 2026 +19

They didn’t decide, they were threatened by the terrorist IRGC.

19

TheWhiteWolf1122 Mar 16, 2026 -5

IRGC aren't terrorists. The pedophile led US Army and IDF are.

-5

Rundiggity Mar 16, 2026 +7

I think there is room for all three groups in the terrorist column.

7

Marcysdad Mar 15, 2026 +77

The comments here are just like I expected them to be

77

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +47

[deleted]

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DryInstance6732 Mar 16, 2026 +1

Yep , i guess that billions and billions are put into the cyber space , israel , iran , chinese and america are the same

1

ToNoMoCo Mar 15, 2026 +15

meaning what? Don't be so coy.

15

Marcysdad Mar 15, 2026 -43

I'm a pisces

-43

ToNoMoCo Mar 15, 2026 +17

so nothing?

17

Marcysdad Mar 15, 2026 -38

Koi is a fish But I guess that went above your head

-38

ToNoMoCo Mar 15, 2026 +16

still nothing? edit: dude could have just clarified. I still have zero idea what his original point was. No reason for him to get all mad.

16

AmericanLion1833 Mar 15, 2026 -21

Both yall obnoxious.

-21

ToNoMoCo Mar 15, 2026 +19

I had no idea what his original comment was about and still don't. Given his stupid replies and little tantrum, neither did he.

19

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 -15

[removed]

-15

AmericanLion1833 Mar 15, 2026 +12

God you’re a loser.

12

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 -18

[removed]

-18

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +46

Brave women. Sacrificed everything for their country. No tears at that game even though they knew what it meant. F***. This shit is horrific. All of it. Edit: There is some weird f****** subtext here that these women didn't just sacrifice everything for a future they want for their country. Wherever you stand as a non-Iranian on this war (I am non-Iranian. I am against it.), pretending they are just going home to hang out with the fam is a disservice to them. Propagandizing a statement they just tried to make to the world amidst an Iranian information blackout is beyond ignorance, it is morally reprehensible. Not sorry - it makes you a bad f****** person. F*** off with your f****** conspiracy theory misinformed pro-regime takes and goddamn look into a single opinion you may be spouting about this war. https://www.si.com/soccer/2022/11/28/iran-threatens-torture-families-ahead-usmnt-match-report https://www.iranintl.com/en/202602267073 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iranians-killed-protesting-student-footballer-husband-wife https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/iran-players-labelled-wartime-traitors-after-anthem-silence-asian-cup-opener-2026-03-06/ These women are going home to die or watch their families die and they are f****** heroes, which not a damn f****** one of us Western keyboard warriors knows f***-all about.

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CrayonOnFire Mar 16, 2026 +3

I could not even begin to imagine the terror they would feel making their way back and not knowing what will happen. They are unbelievably brave and no one should ever judge what these women did or didn’t do or the reasons for why they made the decisions they made. It’s a rock and hard place the entire situation.

3

DirtDevil1337 Mar 15, 2026 +21

Whew reading the comments in this thread is a wild ride.

21

outofgulag Mar 16, 2026 +7

... at least complete the headline "More Iran women's football players decide to return to Iran where the current regime has killed last December over 20,000 people, including women and children." ...

7

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +9

[deleted]

9

Other-Comfortable-64 Mar 17, 2026 +1

Ok, so are there any evidence that their families are threatend, or are we working on feelings here?

1

wodat234 Mar 15, 2026 -16

The families of these Iranian football players are being held hostage. This is what shithole countries do to prevent defections. When was the last time you heard about an athlete from Cuba or China or North Korea defect and seek asylum when they participate in international sporting events? This is the reason.

-16

shawhtk Mar 15, 2026 +27

Cuban athletes defect all the time.

27

Willing_Journalist35 Mar 15, 2026 +6

This comment is already hinting that Cuba is next LMFAO. Can't be any more CIA coded

6

PM_tanlines Mar 15, 2026 +10

Tbf Cuban athletes defect all the time

10

Swagcopter0126 Mar 15, 2026 +3

People will literally talk about how much they hate Trump and then just echo all of his foreign policy

3

Swagcopter0126 Mar 15, 2026

Yeah I don’t think any Chinese athlete is gonna want to defect to America bro, they’re not the shithole in this equation

0

wodat234 Mar 15, 2026 -5

Stop believing in Chinese propaganda.

-5

PolicyWonka Mar 15, 2026 -15

You can tell most people here have only been reading headlines and not *why* these people were contemplating asylum. They were not staying abroad because of the IRGC or Iranian leaders. They were staying abroad because of the American attacks and uncertainty around that.

-15

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +15

https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/iran-players-labelled-wartime-traitors-after-anthem-silence-asian-cup-opener-2026-03-06/ https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603100484 https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2022/feb/02/iran%E2%80%99s-war-its-own-athletes

15

sinpajaroazul Mar 15, 2026 -10

They probably thought the government would fall quickly and now realize it's not going away

-10

NATCA-please Mar 15, 2026 +11

Or their family is you know, under duress

11

Drak_is_Right Mar 16, 2026 +1

Or both.

1

sinpajaroazul Mar 16, 2026

That's the narrative, whose narrative?

0

justbrowsinginpeace Mar 15, 2026 -22

says a lot about Australia

-22

FireFangJ36 Mar 16, 2026 -2

Brave girl unlike western slaves

-2

[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 -93

[deleted]

-93

cthd33 Mar 15, 2026 +64

Might be true, but they are in Australia.

64

Hour-Passenger-8513 Mar 15, 2026 -13

Well, Islamophobia/Racism is on the rise in Australia.

-13

Gitzser Mar 15, 2026 +2

Well the world is warming up tf is that gotta do with it

2

ReesesPieces2020 Mar 15, 2026 +27

Brain dead comment 😂

27

misnomer88 Mar 15, 2026 +11

I need to know what country you lot are typing from that you’re confusing Australia with America 🤔 Is it because they both start with an A?

11

non3type Mar 15, 2026 -5

Pretty sure they’re from US. Edit: It was in their comment history. There are times I expect downvotes, this wasn’t one of them lol.

-5

PovasTheOne Mar 15, 2026 +4

Australia is part of USA now? 🤔

4

ToNoMoCo Mar 15, 2026 +1

Did Trump forget to tell us?

1

nolesfan2011 Mar 15, 2026 -13

Absolutely grim and they need to be prevented from doing so

-13

HahaImStillHere Mar 16, 2026 -17

maybe they learnt about 160 kids killed with tomahawk while in the west

-17

More Iran women's football players decide to return home

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