HERAT, AFGHANISTAN – More than 230,000 Afghans returned from Iran in June, most of them deported, triggering alarm among aid agencies struggling to cope with the influx just days ahead of Tehran’s deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 233,941 Afghans crossed back into Afghanistan between June 1 and 28, with 131,912 of them returning in just one week (June 21–28).
Daily returns have reportedly reached up to 30,000. The surge comes ahead of Iran’s July 6 deadline for all undocumented Afghans to exit its territory.
At the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat province, buses arrived in rapid succession over the weekend, dropping off families who had lived for years, some their entire lives, in Iran. Men, women, and children dragged suitcases, sacks, and blankets through the dust, their faces weary, their futures uncertain.
Samiullah Ahmadi, 28, crossed into Afghanistan for the first time in his life. “I was born there [in Iran],” he told reporters. “But no matter how good you are or even if you have valid documents, they still don’t treat you with respect.”
Since the beginning of 2024, over 690,000 Afghans have returned from Iran, nearly 70 percent of whom were forcibly deported, the IOM said. What sets the current wave apart is the sheer scale of family units among returnees, not just individuals, raising concerns about housing, health care, and livelihoods in a country already buckling under economic pressure and unemployment.
Taliban authorities have called for a “dignified” and gradual repatriation process. The regime’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador in Kabul, urged for a coordinated mechanism to ensure a humane and orderly return of Afghan nationals.
But humanitarian agencies warn that existing support systems are already stretched thin. The IOM says it has only been able to assist a small fraction of those in need. On high-volume days at Islam Qala, as few as 3 percent of undocumented returnees received aid.
The Taliban, already dealing with hundreds of thousands of returnees from Pakistan in recent years, now faces an even greater integration crisis amid international aid cuts and a stagnant economy.
As border provinces like Herat absorb thousands of returnees daily, experts warn that the absence of sustained international support will deepen Afghanistan’s already dire humanitarian crisis, one that shows no sign of easing.
