Six members of Iranian women's football team granted humanitarian asylum in Australia

The Iranian women's football team left Australia late on Tuesday but six of its members are staying behind after being granted humanitarian asylum.

Before reaching the airport, seven women had elected to accept asylum but one changed her mind.

Australia's Home Affairs minister Tony Burke said members of the team met alone with officials who explained that they could choose not to return to Iran.

Some of the squad, who officials said had connections to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, were not offered visas.

Burke had earlier posted a photo of the seven women given humanitarian visas on social media, with their identities clearly visible.

The squad was in Australia for the Asia Cup tournament and had already made news when players refused to sing Iran's national anthem before their first match. They did sing at all later games and haven't explained why they chose to remain silent, whether out of protest or out of mourning for those killed in US and Israeli strikes on their country.

Iranian officials have denied that they aren't safe to return home, saying "No one has the right to interfere in the family affairs of the Iranian nation."