Iranian Police Seize Afghan Migrants’ Phones Over Suspected Links To Israel

Iranian authorities have stepped up pressure on Afghan migrants across the country, with reports of mass arrests, home and workplace raids, and the confiscation of mobile phones amid suspicions of links to Israel.

Sources from multiple Iranian cities told Afghanistan International that uniformed and plainclothes police have intensified inspections of Afghan migrants, particularly following the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel. The heightened crackdown follows a nationwide security sweep in which 700 Iranian citizens were arrested on charges of espionage and collaboration with Israel.

At least five Afghan nationals have reportedly been detained on similar charges. Iranian state media have broadcast videos showing some of the detained Afghans confessing to alleged collaboration with Israel, although the conditions under which these confessions were obtained remain unclear.

In recent days, police have raided workplaces and homes of Afghan migrants, seizing both smartphones and basic mobile phones. Migrants reported that officers without providing official explanations issued slips instructing them to collect their phones from police stations at a later date, sometimes after several weeks.

A migrant in Tehran said on Thursday, 26 June, that his phone and those of several other Afghans were confiscated at a metro station by law enforcement officers. Another source said security forces entered their workplace and seized phones regardless of whether the individuals held legal residency permits.

“Officers took all phones, both smart and basic, from Afghans regardless of their documentation status and told them they could retrieve the devices after one month,” the source said.

Public places such as metro stations have also become focal points for inspections, with migrants reporting increased scrutiny and questioning. So far, Iranian officials have not publicly commented on the reasons for confiscating migrants’ phones or the broader campaign targeting Afghan nationals.

In addition to phone seizures, arrests and deportations of Afghan migrants have surged. A source in Tehran told Afghanistan International on Friday, 27 June, that the number of police checkpoints has dramatically increased across the city. Afghan nationals, both documented and undocumented, are reportedly being detained at these checkpoints.

Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian, the governor of Tehran Province, recently acknowledged that the rate of arrest and deportation of Afghan migrants has tripled or quadrupled in recent weeks.

Local Taliban officials in Afghanistan have also reported a sharp increase in returns. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of the Taliban’s information and culture directorate in Herat, said that more than 30000 Afghan migrants crossed back into Herat from Iran on Wednesday, 25 June alone.

Observers say the current climate has left many Afghan migrants in Iran afraid to leave their homes, go to work, or even access basic services, as fears of arrest, deportation, or harassment continue to mount.