Over 250,000 Afghans Left Iran in June, UN Reports

More than 256,000 Afghans left Iran in June alone, marking a significant surge in repatriations to Afghanistan, according to the United Nations' migration agency. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that up to 28,000 Afghans departed in a single day, following Iran's strict deadline for all undocumented Afghans to leave by 6 July.

The number of Afghan refugees in Iran has grown since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, with many living without legal status. This has fueled rising anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran, where refugees face systemic discrimination. The IOM noted that over 700,000 Afghans have left Iran since January, with 70% forcibly deported, according to spokesperson Avand Azeez Agha.

The surge in repatriations coincides with recent tensions between Iran and Israel, which saw direct conflict in mid-June before a ceasefire was brokered. During this period, Iranian authorities arrested several Afghan migrants suspected of spying for Israel, prompting a new wave of deportations. Iranian media reported claims of accelerated deportations, though police later denied these directives. One Afghan migrant, speaking anonymously to BBC Persian, described the fear of being accused of espionage: "At checkpoints, they search our bodies and phones. Any foreign media content could endanger our lives." Many Iranians have reportedly insulted Afghans, labeling them as spies or collaborators. Even Afghans with valid visas have faced forced deportation, with some detainees reporting accusations of betraying Iran. Arafat Jamal, the UN's refugee coordinator for Afghanistan, said the Israel-Iran conflict has worsened an already ongoing trend of repatriations. "Some actions are quite coercive," he told BBC Pashto, noting that humanitarian provisions at the Afghan border are "overwhelmed" by the influx of over one million returnees from Iran and Pakistan this year. Afghan refugees in Iran face severe restrictions, including ineligibility for citizenship, limited access to banking, SIM cards, or certain areas, and employment often confined to low-wage manual labor. Iranian authorities have also encouraged citizens to report undocumented Afghans, further intensifying the crackdown. One Afghan migrant lamented, "There are oppressors here, and there are oppressors there. We migrants have never lived a free life." Another described a bleak future, citing violent and humiliating treatment by police and even Iran's volunteer militia. The Taliban government has initiated talks with Iranian officials to address the crisis, while its transport minister is working to expedite the movement of refugees from the border to their homes. The UN has called for a joint solution between Iran and Pakistan, which has also accelerated its own deportations of undocumented Afghans.