Iran’s mass deportation of Afghans is spiraling out of control, posing potential humanitarian and geopolitical crises that demand urgent international attention.
At a Glance
- Iran has dramatically escalated its deportation of Afghan refugees, with an official stating that 8,000 are being sent back daily.
- The mass returns are creating a humanitarian crisis, with many deportees arriving in Afghanistan “broke and broken,” according to the IOM.
- Returnees have reported widespread abuse and extortion by Iranian authorities.
- The Taliban government in Afghanistan has called on Iran to treat the migrants humanely and respect their rights.
A Mass Deportation from Iran
The Iranian government has dramatically escalated its campaign to deport Afghan refugees, with an official recently announcing that a staggering 8,000 Afghans are being sent back to their home country every day. The move is creating a massive humanitarian crisis at the border and has drawn condemnation from international aid organizations.
While Iran has often framed the returns as voluntary, human rights groups and the deportees themselves report a much different story of forced returns, abuse, and extortion. The mass deportation comes as Afghanistan continues to grapple with its own severe economic and humanitarian crisis following the Taliban’s takeover.
“Broke and Broken”
Aid organizations on the ground are struggling to cope with the massive influx of deportees, many of whom arrive with nothing. “The majority were deported, returning to Afghanistan often broke and broken, in need of health support, food, and rest,” the International Organization for Migration’s director general, Antonio Vitorino, said in a statement reported by Al Jazeera.
Returnees have shared harrowing accounts of their treatment by Iranian authorities. A report from Human Rights Watch has documented long-standing patterns of arbitrary arrests, beatings, and the theft of money and possessions from Afghans being deported. “They did not see us as humans,” one 19-year-old deportee told reporters.
The Taliban’s Plea
The mass deportations have created new tensions between Iran and the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has publicly called on Iran to halt the abuse and treat the refugees in an “Islamic manner.”
Over 230,000 Afghans Return from Iran Ahead of Tehran's Deportation Deadline
Over 230,000 Afghans were returned from Iran in June, mostly forcibly, amid a surge in deportations ahead of Tehran’s July 6 deadline. Iran has deported 366,000 Afghans in 2025. The mass returns strain… pic.twitter.com/qffwJA5bmp
— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) June 30, 2025
“Islamic and neighborly obligations require Iran to behave in an Islamic manner toward migrants. There should be no oppression, and no rights should be violated,” Hanafi stated, according to a Breitbart report. The situation is further complicated by past incidents, including reports of Iranian border guards drowning Afghan migrants in 2020. As the humanitarian crisis deepens, the international community’s ability to influence Iran’s hardline policies remains limited.
