Australia has granted asylum to five members of the Iranian women's football team who were visiting the country for a tournament when the war in Iran began, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

The women were transported from their hotel on the Gold Coast, Australia “to a safe place” by Australian Federal Police officers in the early hours of Tuesday morning local time. There, they met with Burke and their humanitarian visa processing was finalised, the minister told reporters in Brisbane hours later.

“I tell the other team members that the same opportunity exists,” Burke said. “Australia has taken the Iranian women’s football team into our hearts.”

Local media reported that the team numbered about 20 women. Burke did not give details of what threats the players faced if they returned to Iran, but the asylum requests followed calls from Iranian groups in Australia and from US President Donald Trump for the Australian government to offer assistance to the woman.

The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the Women's Asian Cup last month, before the war in Iran began. The team was eliminated from the tournament over the weekend and was facing the prospect of returning to a country under bombardment. Iran's head coach, Marziyeh Jafari, said on Sunday that the players "want to return to Iran as soon as possible," according to Australia's national news agency, AAP.

During the tournament, the players have largely refused to comment on the situation in the country, although Iranian striker Sara Didar held back tears at a press conference on Wednesday as she shared her concerns for her families, friends and all Iranians during the conflict.

The team's silence during the anthem before an opening loss to South Korea last week was seen by some as an act of resistance and others as a show of mourning. The team has not been cleared. They later sang and saluted during the anthem before their remaining two games.

"These women are extremely well-known in Australia, but we understand that they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions they are making," Burke said. "The opportunity will continue to be there for them to speak to Australian officials if they wish."

Burke's announcement came after Trump on Monday in Washington called on Australia to grant asylum to any member of the team who wanted it. Earlier in the day, Trump had sharply criticized Australia on social media, saying Australia was "making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing ... the team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed." Trump called on Australia to grant the team asylum, adding: "The United States will take them if you don't take them in."

Less than two hours later, in another social media post, Trump praised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying: "He's ready! Five of them have been treated already and the rest are on their way."

Trump also said that some players "feel they need to return because they are concerned about the safety of their families, including threats to family members if they do not return."

Trump's asylum offer represented a change for the president, whose administration has tried to limit the number of immigrants who can receive asylum for political purposes.