Iran Deports 1.5 Million Afghans in 2025 (More to Follow)
Noriko Watanabe, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker
Lee Jay Walker
The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to deport large numbers of Afghan Muslims back to Afghanistan.
This stands in stark contrast to the rhetoric of Muslim unity often expressed by Iran’s ruling Shia elites. Despite the length of time many Afghans have lived in Iran, they are being forcibly returned to a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
International aid organizations report that Iran plans to deport another one million Afghans this year. This starkly contrasts with Iran’s vocal support for Palestinians, often framed in terms of religious solidarity and broader appeals to Muslim unity.
Reception centers in Kabul and Herat are overwhelmed by the continuous influx of forcibly deported Afghans. Compounding the crisis is Afghanistan’s fragile economy, weakened by internal Islamist decrees and limited trade and investment from countries that avoid engagement with the Taliban—at the expense of the Afghan people. Meanwhile, women continue to face severe restrictions under the regime.
The BBC reports, “Iran – which says it hosts more than four million undocumented Afghans who fled conflict in their homeland – has been stepping up deportations for months. In March those without papers were given a July deadline to depart voluntarily, but since a brief war with Israel in June, the authorities have forcibly returned hundreds of thousands of Afghans, alleging national security concerns.”
Large numbers of Afghans began arriving in Iran in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with another major wave following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. As a result, many of those now being deported were actually born and raised in Iran.
Iran and Pakistan—both vocal critics of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza—are themselves carrying out mass deportations of millions of Afghans back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, despite the dire humanitarian conditions many Afghan migrants face. Both countries are fully aware that the Taliban is struggling to meet the basic needs of its citizens amid a deepening economic crisis.
Humanitarian agencies and the international community must engage directly on the ground and collaborate with the Taliban, despite legitimate concerns regarding the treatment of women and young girls.
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi and Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK