Key points
- Iran has ordered more than four million Afghans to leave the country, citing that most of them are living illegally.
- The UN and other organisations report that Afghans are being detained in Iran, mistreated and deported despite permits.
Afghans forced to leave Syria / AP, Omid Haqjoo, illustrative
Iran's government has ordered more than four million Afghan migrants to leave the country by Sunday, July 6. Hundreds of thousands have already left the country in recent weeks.
The UN and a number of other international organizations reported the relevant information. This was reported by Channel 24 , citing Radio Liberty.
Why did Iran give such an order?
Iranian authorities say the country has already accepted more than 6 million Afghan citizens, most of whom live illegally, while the migrants themselves complain of constant discrimination.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has reported that “hundreds” of Afghans and members of other ethnic and religious communities have been detained in Iran on suspicion of spying.
He said Afghans and other nationalities have been labeled as “traitors” in Iranian media, with reports of abuse in detention and deportation despite permission.
According to the publication, one of the young Afghans living in Tehran told reporters that his father was recently detained and tortured by police, citing false accusations of espionage.
His legs were tied with chains and he was not given any food or water. Iranian police held him for several days and then deported him to Afghanistan. The situation with Afghan refugees here is very bad, the man said.
He said his visa had expired and he was now afraid to leave his home. More than 256,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan from Iran in June, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says 800,000 Afghans have returned from Iran since January 2025. Pakistan plans to expel 3 million Afghans.
Now, the United Nations Refugee Agency in June estimated at least 1.2 million Afghans who have returned home from Iran and Pakistan since the beginning of 2025.
Incidentally, according to ISW, since the start of the 12-day war with Israel, more than 700 people have been arrested in the country on charges of espionage. Among them were several people whom the regime described as Mossad spies.
