MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Two members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who claimed asylum in Australia in March have been granted citizenship.
Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh said in a statement Thursday that Immigration Minister Tony Burke swore them in the day before at a citizenship ceremony in their Australian home city of Brisbane.
Friends and supporters from the local Iranian community attended the ceremony.
“Yesterday was a truly special and unforgettable day for me. I feel proud and deeply grateful to become an Australian citizen. Australia has given me the opportunity to build my life and my future, and I feel, more than ever, that I belong here,” Ramezanisadeh said in the statement.
Ramezanisadeh said her Iranian roots and memories would always be part of her.
Pasandideh said Wednesday had been “one of the happiest days of my life.”
“I’m incredibly proud and grateful to officially become an Australian citizen. After everything we’ve been through and all the challenges we faced, this moment means more than words can express,” Pasandideh said.
When The Associated Press asked Burke's office for an explanation for why the women’s citizenship was fast-tracked, his department said it could not comment on individual cases for privacy reasons.
The Refugee Council of Australia, a nonprofit umbrella organization representing asylum-seekers, said refugees usually must live in Australia on a valid visa for four years before they can apply for citizenship.
Their citizenship could potentially have been fast-tracked under Australian law to make them eligible to play soccer for Australia.
The Iranians joined Brisbane Roar, a soccer team which plays in Australia’s elite A-League Women’s domestic competition, after they were granted asylum when Iran dropped out of the Women’s Asia Cup that Australia hosted.
They were among seven Iranian women who initially accepted asylum, but five changed their minds within days and returned to the team for reasons undisclosed.
The team had arrived in Australia before the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February.
Concerns for the team’s welfare at home were raised when players decided against singing the Iranian national anthem before their first match of the tournament.
Protesters demanding asylum for the team widely cited Iranian sports commentator Mohammad Reza Shahbazi calling the women “wartime traitors” in a television broadcast.
U.S. President Donald Trump used social media to call for the team to be granted asylum and telephoned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the issue.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Iran women's soccer player Fatemeh Pasandideh salutes during the national anthem of Iran prior to the AFC Women's Asian Cup Group A match against the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)
Fatemeh Pasandideh, left, and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, former members of the Iranian women’s soccer team, stand with Australia's Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, after receiving their citizenship in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (Department of Home Affairs via AP)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — State Rep. Johnny Garrett has won the Tennessee Republican primary in the race to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. John Rose.
Garrett prevailed in an a four-way primary in the Republican-leaning 6th Congressional District, which stretches east from Nashville. The seat is open because Rose opted to run for governor instead of seeking reelection.
Among those Garrett defeated was former U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary, who served as Rose’s chief of staff.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — State Rep. Justin Pearson has won the Democratic primary in a Tennessee congressional district that was redrawn as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to try to help Republicans hold on to their slim House majority.
Pearson is a Memphis activist who gained national attention in 2023 when he was expelled by the Republican-led state House for protesting in support of gun control measures following a deadly school shooting in Nashville. After he was removed from office, voters reelected him.
The Memphis-based 9th Congressional District, the state’s only U.S. House seat currently held by a Democrat, had a majority Black population. But it was redrawn by Republican officials this year after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities.
The new 9th District stretches about 200 miles (320 kilometers) east from Memphis across rural areas before reaching north toward Nashville. It previously favored Democrats but now tilts Republican, and some Memphis voters have raised concerns that their representation has been diminished.
After the redistricting was done, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen decided not to seek reelection.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has won the Republican primary in the race to succeed Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.
Blackburn advances to the general election with a political edge, as Republicans have held the governor’s office since 2011 and dominated statewide elections for the past couple of decades.
Blackburn has had a long political career, first winning election to the Tennessee Senate in 1998 and then to the U.S. House in 2002.
She was elected to the Senate in 2018 and won a second six-year term in 2024. She will have to give that seat up if elected in November.
Lee is barred by term limits from seeking reelection.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A new Tennessee congressional map that carved up a majority Black district in Memphis made its electoral debut Thursday in a primary election that will determine the nominees for a Republican attempt at a clean sweep of the state's U.S. House districts in the midterms.
The primaries were upended just three months before the vote when the Republican-led Legislature redrew congressional districts following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened federal Voting Rights Act protection for minorities. President Donald Trump cheered the redistricting as part of a national plan to try to help Republicans hold on to their slim House majority.
Polls closed at 8 p.m.
Trump endorsed state Sen. Brent Taylor in the four-person Republican primary for the significantly reshaped 9th Congressional District, which now stretches about 200 miles (320 kilometers) east from Memphis before reaching north toward the Nashville area. The district, which previously favored Democrats, now tilts toward Republicans, and some Memphis voters have raised concerns that their representation has been diminished.
After the redistricting, longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen announced that he would no longer seek reelection in the 9th District. Cohen's primary challenger, Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson, then was joined by state Sen. London Lamar in what became a four-person contest.
Pearson gained national attention in 2023 when he was expelled by the Republican-led state House for protesting in support of gun control measures following a deadly school shooting in Nashville. Memphis voters later reelected him.
Republicans currently hold eight of the state's nine congressional seats.
For decades Memphis, the most populous city in Shelby County, formed the base of its own congressional district. Now the county is split among three districts that extend outward like spokes into rural areas.
Lonzo Taylor, a retired postal worker and military veteran, said Black voters like himself have had their voices diluted.
“We only had one district in the whole state of Tennessee, and you don’t even want that to be fair? It’s just terrible,” said Taylor, 72. “I love this state, but I am very disappointed in our governor,” who called lawmakers into a special session for the redistricting.
Milla Meiman, 23, who voted early in the Democratic primary, said she did not realize the congressional map had changed until receiving a letter about it in the mail.
“It’s a drastic change to have your district sort of switched around like that,” said Meiman, who works part time at an ice cream shop and public library. Meiman added: “I think it’s a voter suppression tactic.”
Terrice Thomas, 45, an educator who votes for Democrats, had to learn a lot more about the candidates when she got switched from District 9 to District 8. She is concerned Memphis constituents could get overlooked.
“Is everybody going to have an equal say on what’s happening in their communities or even the people that you’re voting for?” Thomas said. “Are they going to really take into account the different areas and what makes us unique?”
The cracking apart of Memphis sent ripples throughout the state, also significantly reshaping the 5th Congressional District held by Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, a conservative Freedom Caucus member who sought reelection and was endorsed by Trump.
He faced a primary challenge from Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner under Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who endorsed Hatcher for Congress.
Previously centered on Nashville and central Tennessee, the district now extends to the northwest corner of the state before snaking south along the Mississippi River to Memphis. Along the way it touches the borders of Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi.
Ogles has faced controversy. His cellphone was seized by the FBI in 2024 as part of an investigation into his campaign finance reporting. But the Justice Department recently agreed to return the device, signaling that it was abandoning the probe, which began under the Biden administration.
On the Democratic side, the five-way primary featured Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, who has continued to run in the reshaped district despite being drawn out of it.
Republican U.S. Rep. John Rose opted not to seek reelection in the 6th District to run for governor instead. That created a contentious primary for the Republican-leaning district, which stretches east from Nashville.
The four Republican candidates included state Rep. Johnny Garrett and Rose’s recent chief of staff, former U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary, who served eight years in Congress before losing a gubernatorial bid in 2002. Five Democrats also were seeking the seat.
Rose and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn were among three Republicans and five Democrats running to succeed Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who is barred by term limits from seeking reelection. Blackburn, who won her second six-year Senate term in 2024, would have to give the seat up if elected.
Memphis City Council member Jerri Green won the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Republicans have held the governor's office since 2011 and won every U.S. Senate election since 1994. Sen. Bill Hagerty won the Republican primary without opposition and will face Marquita Bradshaw, who won the Democratic nomination, in November.
The story has been updated to correct the day of the primary election to Thursday, from Tuesday.
Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.
Democratic congressional candidate State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, greets a supporter at a primary election night party Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Democratic congressional candidate State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, smiles upon arriving to a primary election night party Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Helen Plummer walks into a polling place to cast her ballot in a primary election Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Two voters fill out their ballots in Memphis, Tenn., Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Kristin M. Hall)
FILE - Republican congressional candidate State Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, speaks to a supporter outside an early voting polling place Friday, July 24, 2026, in Brentwood, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Democratic congressional candidate State Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, speaks to potential voters during a political event Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Franklin, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
