TEHRAN — Iranian authorities have deported nearly 500,000 undocumented Afghan migrants since the start of the current solar year in late March, according to Nader Yar-Ahmadi, head of Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs.
Speaking during a visit to the Dogharoun border crossing on Wednesday, Yar-Ahmadi said that migrants were identified and removed from across Iran and returned via the border points at Milak and Dogharoun. He emphasized that the deportations would continue, citing what he described as strong public demand for stricter migration enforcement.
“The return of undocumented Afghan nationals is one of the top public concerns,” Yar-Ahmadi said. “This requires active cooperation between citizens and responsible institutions.”
He also announced the formation of two joint working groups with Afghan authorities to manage the repatriation process more systematically.
The deportation campaign has accelerated sharply in recent weeks. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that more than 256,000 Afghans were deported or returned from Iran in June alone. Human rights organizations have warned that many of those expelled are arriving at the border without adequate access to food, water, or shelter.
According to the IOM, over 2.43 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan between September 2023 and April 2024, more than half of them through forced removals. The agency projects that up to 2 million more Afghan migrants may be expelled from Iran in 2025.
Humanitarian aid for returnees has been partially funded by international donors including Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom, South Korea, the United Nations, and Norway.
As Iran faces economic pressures and rising anti-immigrant sentiment, aid groups warn that the pace and conditions of the deportations could deepen the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where basic services remain under strain.
