Iran deports 300,000 Afghans over Israel spying fears
The exodus has been sparked by a national security drive in Tehran, which fears Afghans could be spying for Israel.
Refugees described arbitrary arrests, detentions and widespread abuse by Iranian security forces, and said tensions spiralled after Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear sites and military leadership last month.
'Some chose to return voluntarily, but most were deported by Iran,' said Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the head of Afghanistan's information and culture department.
Facing extreme high temperatures and a lack of basic facilities, humanitarian organisations have warned of an impending crisis at the Afghanistan-Iran border.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which assists the returnees, said that many Afghans were arriving with 'nothing but the clothes on their back' and 'in urgent need of food, support and medical care'.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and other groups are providing temporary aid, but they are not equipped to provide long-term support.
Thousands of Afghans fled to Iran seeking refuge after the Taliban's return to power in 2021, and could face persecution on their return.
Some female returnees said they were denied support by Taliban authorities as they were travelling without an adult male to accompany them.
Iran is home to an estimated six million Afghans, many of whom are undocumented refugees following decades of conflict in their home country.
Although Tehran was once a welcoming host, the regime in May ordered all those it said were there 'illegally' to leave by July 6 or face arrest.
A young Afghan who lives in Tehran told The Telegraph that friends had been tortured by police over a spying allegation.
'Four of my friends were accused of spying and taken to a camp and severely tortured,' he told The Telegraph. 'They are innocent migrants. They were dragged from their flat, badly beaten, and one of them nearly died.
'I don't know about their whereabouts now.'
Another said his father was arrested and tortured for several days, again on suspicion of espionage. 'He was kept without food and water, and later deported to Afghanistan. We are facing a grave situation here,' he said.
Videos circulating on social media show Iranian security forces raiding sites in Tehran in which Afghan migrants worked.
On June 20, police released footage of two Afghan men they claimed had confessed to spying on sensitive locations, including the state broadcaster's headquarters and a senior official's residence.
Security forces also raided a factory in southern Tehran and detained several Afghans accused of assisting Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, in plotting drone attacks on air defence systems in Isfahan.
'We are called Israeli spies in the streets and markets,' said an Afghan migrant deportee. 'Conditions are harsh and our grievances are ignored.'
Many deportees have told of systematic harassment and arbitrary arrests. 'Arrests of Afghans became widespread. Checkpoints sprang up everywhere. They pulled us off buses, accused us of being spies, and took us away for interrogation,' said one.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, said hundreds of Afghans had been detained on espionage charges, and that the Iranian media was inciting hatred and using dehumanising language against Afghan communities.
Fatemeh Mohajerani, an Iranian government spokesman, said last week: 'We've always striven to be good hosts, but national security is a priority, and naturally illegal nationals must return.'
Between June 1 and July 5, nearly 450,000 Afghans returned from Iran, a spokesman for the IOM said on Monday, bringing the total for the year so far to more than 900,000.
The IFRC said at the weekend that large groups of Afghans, including many children, were arriving via the Islam Qala border crossing, having endured 'exhaustion, hunger, and uncertainty on their journey home' in temperatures hovering over 43C.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNN
28 minutes ago
- CNN
On GPS: The US and Israel's rift over Syria
A rift is emerging between the US and Israel over Syria, after Israeli airstrikes hit the capital Damascus last week. Fareed speaks with Atlantic contributing writer Robert Worth about the shifting alliances shaping the Middle East after the fall of the country's former dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
On GPS: The US and Israel's rift over Syria
A rift is emerging between the US and Israel over Syria, after Israeli airstrikes hit the capital Damascus last week. Fareed speaks with Atlantic contributing writer Robert Worth about the shifting alliances shaping the Middle East after the fall of the country's former dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Solve the daily Crossword


CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Qatari plane that could be new Air Force One will be ‘unconditional' gift to the Pentagon, agreement says
Federal agencies US military The Middle East Donald Trump FacebookTweetLink Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart have signed an agreement outlining the terms of Qatar's 'unconditional donation' of a Boeing jet to the Pentagon, confirming that the US will pay nothing for the plane, according to a copy of the memorandum of understanding reviewed by CNN. The agreement, signed by Hegseth and Qatar's deputy prime minister and minister of state for defense affairs, Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, on July 7, says the plane — which is expected to be used by President Donald Trump as Air Force One once it is upgraded — is a 'bona fide gift' to the Defense Department. 'This donation is made in good faith and in the spirit of cooperation and mutual support between the parties,' the document says. 'Nothing in this MoU is, or shall be interpreted or construed as, an offer, promise, or acceptance of any form of bribery, undue influence, or corrupt practice.' The memorandum, while signed by both parties, could still be tweaked ahead of a formal announcement, a source familiar with the matter said. The aircraft is parked in San Antonio awaiting upgrades, CNN has reported. CNN has reached out to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force and the Qatari Embassy for comment. The MOU was first reported by The Washington Post. The transfer of the jet from Qatar to the Trump administration sparked a political firestorm in the spring as Democrats and several influential Republicans, including supporters of the president, said they opposed the potential deal on ethics grounds. It also caught Air Force officials off guard, CNN has reported. While the Air Force was exploring options for getting a replacement plane for Air Force One faster than Boeing could deliver the new jets it had been contracted to build, the Air Force was initially under the impression that any transaction with the Qataris would involve a sale of the plane — not a donation, defense officials said. But after news of the US-Qatar discussions became public, Trump repeatedly described the plane as a 'GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE.' The memorandum signed by Hegseth and Al-Thani emphasizes the transfer of the plane is 'unconditional' and that it is 'not connected or otherwise related to any governmental decision and, as such, is not made, offered, promised or accepted because of any past, present or future official act or decision and is not intended to obtain or retain any improper advantage or to influence any official decision.' But beyond the ethical and legal questions, retrofitting and installing the required security and communications equipment on a second-hand plane from another government, even a friendly one, is a monumental task. To fund the upgrades, the Air Force has sought to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from the vastly overbudget Sentinel program to an unspecified classified project, according to sources familiar with a congressional notification about the transfer. Sentinel is a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile system that is being developed to replace the US' aging Minuteman III missiles. Officially, the price tag to retrofit the Qatari plane for use by the president is classified, the Air Force previously told CNN. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers last month that it will 'probably' cost less than $400 million. An addendum to the Defense Department-Qatar agreement reviewed by CNN says the Air Force 'is in the process of finalizing the transfer of registration and will immediately begin execution of the required modifications.'