Iran Expels Nearly 450,000 Afghans in Just Over a Month

In a sweeping crackdown with far-reaching humanitarian and geopolitical consequences, Iran has forced nearly 450,000 undocumented Afghans to return home in just over a month, according to figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

From June 1 to July 5, a staggering 449,218 Afghans crossed the border back into Afghanistan, the IOM said on Monday. This brings the total number of returnees from Iran in 2025 alone to 906,326, part of a larger crisis that the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warns could destabilize not just Afghanistan, but the entire region.

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Deadline Passed, Deportations Begin

The exodus was triggered by a May directive from Tehran, ordering all undocumented Afghan migrants to leave the country by July 6. Iran estimates that it currently hosts around six million Afghans, nearly four million of whom are undocumented and now face the threat of detention and deportation.

According to the UNHCR, more than 1.4 million Afghans have returned or been forcibly returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan this year alone — a trend that has accelerated since 2023, when both countries began tightening their migration policies.

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Border Crossings Surge: 40,000 Per Day

UN officials noted a massive spike in border crossings starting mid-June, with some days recording up to 40,000 people returning from Iran into Afghanistan — a country still reeling from decades of war, economic collapse, and severe climate shocks.

Conditions at key border points like Islam Qala in Herat province have rapidly deteriorated. With limited shelter, food, or medical care, many returnees are being processed through IOM-run reception centres under chaotic and dusty conditions.

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The Human Cost: Desperation and Displacement

Many of those arriving say they were arrested, pressured, or given ultimatums to leave Iran, losing their already meagre savings in the process. Families have been torn apart, and workers who once remitted wages to support relatives back home are returning with nothing.

“If I can find a job here that covers our daily expenses, I’ll stay,”
said Ahmad Mohammadi, a returnee interviewed at the Islam Qala border on Saturday.
“But if that’s not possible, we’ll be forced to go to Iran again — or Pakistan, or some other country.”

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No Jobs, No Aid, No Way Forward

Afghanistan, under Taliban control since 2021, remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations. The country grapples with:

• Mass unemployment

• Crippling poverty

• Food insecurity affecting over 20 million

• Climate-driven shocks, including droughts and floods

Foreign aid — which once made up 75% of the national budget — has plummeted after the Taliban’s return to power. The lack of international recognition of the Taliban government and sanctions have severely hampered funding for emergency relief and reintegration support.

“Massive aid cuts have left international NGOs and the UN scrambling,”
noted one senior UN official in Kabul.
“We are underfunded, understaffed, and overwhelmed.”

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UN and Taliban Urge Dignified, Voluntary Returns

The UNHCR has strongly opposed forced returns, warning that “pressuring Afghans to return risks further instability in the region, and onward movement towards Europe.”

The refugee agency also noted that many of these returnees are in no condition to rebuild their lives in Afghanistan. With no homes, no jobs, and in many cases no extended family support, secondary displacement is inevitable.

The Taliban government, for its part, has echoed calls for “dignified returns”, even as it struggles to accommodate the influx. Authorities have called on neighboring countries to avoid mass deportations and help maintain regional stability.

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Iran Defends Its Policy Amid Backlash

Iranian officials maintain that the crackdown is not an act of hostility, but a reflection of the country’s limited capacity to host millions of foreign nationals.

“Afghans are respected neighbours and brothers in faith,”
said Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, Iran’s deputy interior minister, on state television last week.
“But our capacities also have limits.”

He emphasized that the return process would be “gradual,” though data suggests the pace of expulsions has been anything but slow.

Iran’s media continues to report mass arrests of “illegal Afghans” across several provinces. Human rights groups have criticized the lack of legal safeguards, warning that the deportation campaign violates international conventions on the treatment of migrants and refugees.

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Ripple Effects: Europe Should Brace for More Asylum Seekers

With Iran and Pakistan both increasingly hostile toward Afghan migrants, the UN has warned of a likely increase in attempts to migrate westward, particularly toward Turkey and the European Union.

Already, European governments are grappling with complex questions about whether to deport Afghan asylum seekers or grant temporary protection, especially as security and humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan continue to deteriorate.

A Brewing Humanitarian Time Bomb

The mass return of Afghans from Iran comes at a time when Afghanistan can least afford it. Stripped of aid, jobs, and infrastructure, the country is now expected to absorb nearly a million returnees, many with no livelihood prospects and severe trauma.

As international attention drifts to other global conflicts, the crisis unfolding at the Afghanistan-Iran border risks becoming a forgotten emergency with explosive consequences — not just for Afghanistan, but for the broader region and beyond.

Unless the global community responds with urgency and coordination, the repercussions could echo across migration corridors, security frameworks, and diplomatic relations far beyond South Asia.