A former senior Iranian diplomat has cautioned against conflating Afghan migrants with foreign intelligence threats, urging authorities to adopt a more humane and measured approach in dealing with migration issues.
Rasoul Mousavi, former Director General for South Asian Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote in an article published by a domestic Iranian outlet that Afghan migrants are “not aligned with enemy spies” and should not be treated as security threats.
“Managing issues related to Afghan migrants in Iran requires a patient, precise approach based on human dignity,” Mousavi stated.
His remarks follow a wave of arrests during Iran’s recent 12-day conflict with Israel, during which several Afghan nationals were detained on allegations of collaborating with Israeli intelligence. Iranian state media released footage of two Afghan men purportedly confessing to ties with Israel, though the conditions under which the video was recorded remain unclear.
In the aftermath of the ceasefire with Israel, the Iranian government significantly accelerated deportations of Afghan migrants, with returns reaching unprecedented levels.
Mousavi, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in Afghan affairs, emphasised the longstanding cultural and religious ties between Afghans and Iranians. “As someone who has long been involved with Afghanistan and knows many Afghans personally, I can say with confidence that their hatred for Israeli spies and the enemies of Iran and Muslims is no less than ours, if not greater,” he wrote.
He urged Iranian authorities to carefully differentiate between genuine security threats and the broader undocumented migrant population. “There is a clear distinction between spies and those linked to enemy intelligence services, and ordinary Afghan migrants who have no connection to such activities,” he said.
