TEHRAN — Authorities in Iran have sealed 700 businesses operated by Afghan migrants on Qeshm Island, as part of a broader crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals, the island’s chief prosecutor announced.
Omid Mahdavi Majd, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Qeshm, told reporters on Thursday that “under the law, any transfer of property—whether through rental agreements, sales, or other transactions—to undocumented foreign nationals is prohibited and constitutes a violation.”
He described the closures as part of an effort to “regulate” the presence of Afghan migrants in Iran.
Iran has recently intensified a campaign under the banner of “Organizing Undocumented Foreign Nationals,” aimed at identifying Afghan migrants without legal status, as well as landlords and employers who provide them with housing and jobs.
Meanwhile, both Iran and Pakistan have been detaining and deporting hundreds of Afghan migrants daily, citing a lack of legal residency permits. Many of those deported are handed over to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The crackdown has drawn sharp criticism from Afghan migrant communities and human rights organizations, which accuse Iranian and Pakistani authorities of violating the rights of displaced Afghans.
