On Wednesday, a stunning piece of video footage emerged from Australia, capturing the frantic, humiliated retreat of the Iranian regime’s thugs after they realized they had lost their grip on the women’s national soccer team.

The video, which has quickly gone viral, serves as a visceral punctuation mark to a high-stakes international defection that saw five members of the squad vanish into the safety of Australian asylum, leaving their would-be captors scurrying in a panic.

In the footage, members of the Iranian security apparatus — tasked with ensuring no player escaped the regime’s reach — are seen running frantically down a flight of stairs. Their composure completely shattered, the men appear desperate and disoriented upon discovering that five of the women had successfully slipped away.

The scene was narrated by a local Australian whose scathing commentary provided a quintessentially Western backdrop to the regime’s failure. As the agents bolted, the Australian mocked their sudden loss of power, shouting, “It’s Australia now. You’re in Australia. You’re in Australia. You better run. Yeah, we’re going to get you now. You better run. Yeah, you’ve got no rights here. You’re in Australia! I know who you are! Get down the stairs, yes! You gotta run now. What cowards are you guys, running? Yeah, cowards. The news is going to love this. Get the f*** out of our country, IRGC.”

WATCH: Fox News obtains footage from the high-stakes hotel getaway by the Iranian Women’s National Soccer team in Australia.

The video captures the moment Iranian handlers, security staff, and coaches scramble as they realize five of their stars had vanished from the premises. pic.twitter.com/V3kY6KefKx

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) March 11, 2026

The incident follows a tense standoff during the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The team had already drawn the ire of Tehran by remaining silent during the national anthem in their opening match, a move that prompted Iranian state media to brand the athletes “wartime traitors” — a charge that carries the death penalty under the Islamic Republic’s draconian penal code.

The tide turned toward safety following a direct intervention by President Donald Trump. After initially criticizing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a “terrible humanitarian mistake,” Trump revealed he had spoken with the prime minister to ensure the women were not forced back to certain death. “He’s on it!” Trump posted, confirming that several players had already been “taken care of.”

While some players felt compelled to return to Iran due to threats against their families, the video of the “minders” in full flight highlights a rare, public defeat for the IRGC.

In 2019, Sahar Khodayari, a devoted fan of the Esteghlal team, who became known as the “Blue Girl,”disguised herself as a man to enter a stadium (where women were banned). After being caught and facing a prison sentence, she set herself on fire in protest and tragically died. Her death sparked international outrage, forcing FIFA to pressure Iran into finally allowing women to enter stadiums for certain matches, though the “ban” is often still enforced or restricted through “selective” ticketing.

For a regime that relies on the “Blue Girl” legacy of fear and stadium bans to keep women suppressed, the sight of their enforcers running terrified down a staircase in a free nation offered a powerful symbol of the regime’s waning reach.

The U.S. military said it “eliminated” more than a dozen mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday after President Donald Trump warned Iran not to plant mines in the area. 

U.S. Central Command posted a video showing strikes targeting multiple Iranian naval vessels, saying that 16 minelayers have been destroyed. The strikes follow Trump’s threat that Iran would face consequences “at a level never seen before” if mines were placed and not removed. 

U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/371unKYiJs

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 10, 2026

“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” Trump said Tuesday. “If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”

He added that the same technology used in the Caribbean to strike suspected drug boats was being used against “any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the U.S. military was targeting “inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—wiping them out with ruthless precision.” He added that the United States “will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.”

The strikes occurred after multiple ships were hit by projectiles on Wednesday morning near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply transits. The strikes were reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. 

A bulk carrier was struck by an “unknown projectile” about 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, UKMTO reported. “There is no report of any environmental impact. The crew are reported safe,” the shipping monitor said. 

The group also reported that a container vessel was hit by a “suspected but unknown projectile” roughly 25 nautical miles northwest of Ra’s al Khaymah in the United Arab Emirates. In a separate incident, a cargo vessel was struck by a projectile about 11 nautical miles north of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire onboard and prompting the crew to evacuate.

As shipping traffic in the strait has largely stopped, gas prices in the United States have increased, with the national average rising from $2.93 per gallon a month ago to $3.57 on Wednesday.

Trump has floated the idea of deploying U.S. Navy ships to escort tankers and other ships through the strait to ensure safe passage. He said elevated energy prices would be temporary while Iran’s nuclear capabilities were being destroyed.