ANKARA — Iran's women's national football squad crossed back into their homeland Wednesday after a dramatic reversal of asylum claims that had threatened to become a diplomatic incident between Tehran and Canberra.

The athletes touched down in Istanbul late Tuesday aboard an Oman Air flight before connecting to Igdir, a Turkish border city. Airport witnesses reported seeing the women in official Iranian tracksuits as they departed for the Gurbulak-Bazargan frontier crossing, approximately 100 kilometers southeast of the regional hub.

"This represents a significant shift in their legal strategy," said Mehrdad Balali, a sports law expert at Georgetown University who tracks Iranian athletic defections. "Withdrawing asylum applications suggests either family pressure or assurances from Tehran authorities about their safety upon return." The timing coincides with renewed diplomatic engagement between Iran and several Western nations over regional security matters.

The episode began during an international tournament when multiple squad members initially sought refugee protection, citing fears of persecution over women's rights protests that have swept Iran since 2022. However, Iranian Football Federation officials reportedly maintained contact with the players throughout their temporary stay in Australia. "These athletes faced an impossible choice between personal freedom and family obligations," observed Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now, who has monitored similar cases involving Iranian sports figures.