Migrant Expulsions From Iran Violates Human Rights, Says Anti-Taliban Group

On Tuesday, 24 June, the first day of the ceasefire, an estimated 18000 Afghans crossed into Afghanistan. The number rose to 31000 on Wednesday and surged to over 36000 on Thursday. While the pace slowed slightly, some 16000 returned on Friday, and by 4 PM local time on Saturday, another 13000 had entered through the same crossing.

Local sources say the deportations, taking place during the peak of summer heat, have severely strained resources at Islam Qala. Overcrowding, combined with limited transport, drinking water, and medical care, has fuelled fears of an escalating humanitarian crisis. International organisations are attempting to provide minimal assistance, but the scale of the returns is outpacing capacity.

According to the United Nations, the vast majority of those returning were forcibly deported, with only a small number returning voluntarily. Some migrants have claimed they were expelled despite holding valid passports and visas. Reports from Islam Qala suggest that Iranian police have disregarded legal documentation in many cases.

The crackdown comes as Iran intensifies efforts to control undocumented migration. The Iranian government has accelerated the construction of border walls, barred employers from hiring undocumented workers, and restricted Afghan movement in several provinces. Authorities have warned all foreign nationals without valid residency to leave the country.

Tensions escalated further during the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, when Iranian security services arrested approximately 700 Iranian citizens and at least five Afghan nationals on charges of espionage. Migrants say that since the ceasefire, security forces have treated them more harshly, with police in several cities reportedly confiscating phones and accusing individuals of collaborating with Israel.

In response to the mass deportations, a high-level Taliban delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi travelled to Herat on Saturday to assess the situation at the border. Taliban officials have formed a commission to address urgent needs, relying largely on support from local businesses and private organisations. Transport from the border to Herat city, along with food, water, and some cash assistance, is being provided by private companies operating in the region.

International aid agencies, including UNICEF, UNAMA, IOM, WHO, and local groups such as WADAN, are working on the ground to register and assist returnees. They are also coordinating transportation and providing healthcare and vaccinations. The polio vaccination campaign at the border has been reinforced in recent days, with expanded staffing and wider coverage.

Arafat Jamal, the UNHCR representative in Kabul, who recently visited the border area, described the returnees as “exhausted, hungry and deeply worried about an uncertain future.” He said many families are arriving with little more than the clothes they are wearing, and noted that women and girls are particularly anxious about restrictions on education, employment, and freedom of movement under Taliban rule.

The UNHCR has warned that without an immediate increase in international support, Afghanistan’s already fragile humanitarian situation could worsen significantly. As deportations from Iran continue at an unprecedented rate, aid organisations say urgent funding is needed to prevent the crisis from deepening further.

According to a statement released Saturday by the Taliban-run central bank, the two discussed strengthening trade ties, expanding banking relations, and supporting the private sector in Afghanistan.

The bank quoted Grieco as saying that a conference aimed at expanding international banking cooperation is scheduled for August. He reportedly invited a Taliban representative to attend and speak at the upcoming event, though the location of the planned conference was not disclosed. As of now, no information about the event appears on the AACC’s official website or social media platforms.

The AACC previously held a conference in Kabul on 6 September 2023, titled “Afghanistan Trade and Economic Relations,” which marked Grieco’s first visit to the country since the Taliban’s return to power. During that visit, he met with Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and representatives from the private sector.

In Saturday’s statement, the Taliban-controlled central bank claimed that Afghanistan’s banking sector has made “significant progress” in bilateral financial relations over the past three years. The bank also asserted that access to financing for Afghan citizens has increased by 71 percent.

Deputy Governor Khalid further claimed that total bank deposits reached approximately 8 billion Afghanis over the past three months.

The Taliban continue to seek greater international engagement, particularly in trade and finance, amid ongoing sanctions and restrictions on Afghanistan’s banking system following the collapse of the previous government in August 2021.

According to a report by the official IRNA news agency on Saturday, 28 June, Movahedi-Azad made the remarks during a ceremony in the city of Hamedan. He specifically called on Afghan nationals without valid residency permits to depart Iran immediately, warning that those who fail to comply will face legal consequences.

“Foreign nationals, especially our Afghan brothers and sisters, whom we have hosted for years, should help ensure that unauthorised individuals leave Iran promptly,” he said. “Violators will face consequences.”

Movahedi-Azad also called on legally documented migrants to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity among their communities, particularly any suspected cooperation with Israel.

He added that those who come forward voluntarily to regularise their status may be eligible for “legal leniency.”

Afghans constitute the largest migrant population in Iran and are frequently referred to in official discourse and state media as “foreign nationals” or “unauthorised foreigners.”

Following the recent ceasefire between Iran and Israel, authorities have intensified the deportation of Afghan migrants. Thousands are reportedly being expelled from Iran each day under difficult and pressured conditions.

Taliban officials in Herat have said that approximately 30000 Afghan nationals are returning daily via the Islam Qala border crossing. Reports indicate that nearly 100000 Afghans were deported from Iran in the past week alone.

Hanan Balkhy, WHO’s regional health director, said on Saturday that more than 71,000 Afghan migrants have returned in the past two weeks alone, with over 90 percent entering the country from Iran.

Balkhy warned that health facilities along Afghanistan’s border regions are on the verge of collapse due to the rapid influx of returnees and a critical shortage of resources.

The number of forced returns from neighbouring countries, particularly Iran, has surged dramatically in recent weeks. According to Taliban officials in Herat, more than 30,000 Afghan migrants crossed back from Iran in a single day last week.

Previously, Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), stated that an average of 10,000 Afghans are being deported daily from Iran.

Speaking in a televised interview, Momeni said, “We are not hostile toward foreigners or neighbouring countries. But we cannot accept individuals entering our country and harming our security.”

He acknowledged that “many honourable individuals” are among the foreign nationals living in Iran, but added that the country is unable to accommodate the current volume of migration. “Quantitatively, our country is not capable of accommodating this many foreign nationals,” he said.

Momeni’s remarks come as reports emerge of intensified crackdowns on Afghan migrants across Iran, following a ceasefire agreement that ended a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.

Sources in multiple Iranian cities told Afghanistan International that security forces have stepped up arrests of Afghan nationals. Police have allegedly raided migrant homes and workplaces, confiscating mobile phones over suspicions of espionage and national security concerns, including possible links to Israel.

During the recent conflict, Iranian authorities arrested 700 Iranian citizens on charges of “espionage” and “collaboration” with Israel. Reports also indicate that at least five Afghan nationals have been detained on similar allegations.

Iranian state media has aired video confessions from several of the detained Afghans, in which they admit to cooperating with Israeli intelligence. However, it remains unclear under what circumstances the confessions were recorded.

Although Momeni noted that many of those arrested were Iranian citizens, the targeting of Afghan migrants has escalated. The Taliban recently claimed that more than 100,000 Afghan migrants have returned through the Islam Qala border crossing in recent days, as deportations and voluntary returns increase.