Iran orders millions of Afghans to leave country or face arrest as deadline ends

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Iran has ordered millions of Afghan refugees and migrants to leave the country or risk being arrested as a government-imposed deadline expires, as reported by Al Jazeera. Iran currently hosts around 4 million Afghans, many of whom have lived there for years.(Representational/REUTERS)
Tehran set the deadline date for July 6 for the Afghans who were in the country and left Afghanistan to escape the war, poverty, or Taliban rule after the organisation came back to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces.
As per Al Jazeera, the enforcement comes amid heightened tensions and security fears following a 12-day war with Israel, during which the US also targeted Iran's nuclear sites on June 21-22 under "Operation Midnight Hammer".
Humanitarian groups have raised concerns, warning that mass deportations could further destabilise Afghanistan, already one of the poorest nations in the world.
Iran currently hosts around 4 million Afghans, many of whom have lived there for years. In 2023, the Iranian government began a crackdown on undocumented foreigners. In March 2025, authorities gave Afghans without legal residency until early July to leave voluntarily or face expulsion, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Since then, over 700,000 Afghans have left, including more than 230,000 in June alone, Al Jazeera reported, citing the United Nations' International Organisation for Migration. Hundreds of thousands more remain at risk of being deported.
As per Al Jazeera, citing UNHCR, Iran ramped up deportations during the conflict with Israel, sending back more than 30,000 Afghans per day--up sharply from the previous daily average of 2,000.
Iranian officials insist they are not singling out Afghans and say the actions are based on national security concerns.
"We have always striven to be good hosts, but national security is a priority, and naturally, illegal nationals must return," Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Tuesday, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
By late June, more than half of the 1.2 million Afghans who had returned to the country in 2025 had come from Iran.
UNHCR official in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, described chaotic scenes at the border, with Afghan families arriving in buses, confused, exhausted, and hungry.
"They are coming in buses, and sometimes, five buses arrive at one time with families and others, and the people are let out of the bus, and they are simply bewildered, disoriented and tired and hungry as well," Jamal said as quoted by Al Jazeera.
Though some Afghans returned voluntarily, many were forcibly removed, part of what UNHCR called a broader pattern of returns from Iran.