In the weeks following the 12-day conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel, Iranian authorities have significantly expanded efforts to deport undocumented Afghan migrants. According to data from the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 130,000 Afghans were expelled from Iran in just one week, bringing the total number of returns to nearly 700,000 since the beginning of 2025—approximately 70% of which were forced.
Iranian officials have defended the campaign as part of a broader effort to regulate undocumented immigration and protect national security. The Ministry of Interior announced that July 6 (15 Tir) would be the final deadline for unauthorized foreign nationals to leave the country. Iranian media reports also link some recent arrests of Afghan nationals to alleged espionage and involvement in sabotage activities during the Israel–Iran conflict. In several cases, televised confessions have been aired.
While efforts to scale up national security are expected from any sovereign state, and particularly given Israel’s successful infiltration within Iran and targeting of military leaders, the scale and method of these deportations have drawn attention from humanitarian organizations, civil society, and members of the public. Reports from border regions such as Islam Qala describe chaotic scenes involving families, women, and children waiting in harsh conditions to cross back into Afghanistan. Many of the deportees are individuals who have lived in Iran for years or were born there, some holding expired or temporary legal documents. Others claim to have been arrested without prior notice at workplaces or homes.
Among the individuals affected is Hajar Shadmani, a 19-year-old Afghan woman born in Shiraz, who told Agence France-Presse that she was expelled along with her family despite never having lived outside Iran. “We have nothing here. I love studying, but I don’t think I will be able to continue my education in Afghanistan,” she said, referencing restrictions on women’s education under the Taliban.
In another case, Yadollah Alizadeh, 37, described being detained while working and deported to the Afghan border with only a broken phone and the clothes he was wearing. His three children, all reportedly sick, remain in Iran without him.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed concern that this large influx of returnees—many arriving without financial means, shelter, or access to healthcare or jobs—could increase instability in the region. International aid to Afghanistan remains limited, and the Taliban administration continues to struggle with both governance and international legitimacy.
In response to the situation, over 1,300 activists, journalists, filmmakers, and citizens from both Iran and Afghanistan signed an open letter recently published, protesting what they described as “inhumane and hostile treatment” of Afghan migrants in Iran. Notable signatories include Taraneh Alidoosti and Leili Farhadpour.
The letter, addressed to the Iranian government, states:
“The treatment of migrants has gone beyond deportations and baseless accusations and is now being systematically imposed on one of the most defenseless minority communities in the country.”
The signatories further criticized the broad association of Afghan migrants with espionage or infiltration following the war, stating that such accusations were made “without evidence and in an indiscriminate manner.” They described the term “deportation of illegal migrants” as a euphemism masking “structural violence against the entire migrant population,” and warned that both documented and undocumented individuals have been subjected to detentions and searches that have created “widespread fear and powerlessness” among Afghan communities, many of whom have lived in Iran for generations.
The letter also called on Iranian citizens to speak out:
“Silence in the face of this injustice may be interpreted as complicity or public approval.”
“The oppression inflicted upon Afghans and other voiceless minorities destroys humanitarian values, justice, and freedom.”
In recent days, videos and images documenting the arrest and expulsion of Afghan migrants have circulated on social media, prompting further concern among human rights observers.
While Iranian officials have emphasized that deportation orders apply only to undocumented individuals, activists and affected families continue to report instances where even those with legal residency or expired permits have been detained or expelled. Afghan officials have urged Iran to coordinate deportations more gradually and respectfully, warning that large-scale, sudden returns may overwhelm Afghanistan’s limited absorption capacity.
The broader implications of this migration policy remain uncertain. Some analysts have warned that treating long-term residents and migrants as security threats without due process may contribute to regional instability and increase social tensions both within and beyond Iran’s borders.