KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – More than 632,000 Afghan refugees have returned from Iran in the first five months of 2025, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
UNHCR spokesperson Faramarz Barzin told local outlet TOLOnews that many of the returns from Iran happened without proper legal procedures. He added that returnees have reported mistreatment and harsh conditions in Iran.
“From January 1 to May 31, over 632,000 people returned from Iran,” Barzin said. “Since April, an estimated 5,500 individuals have been returning daily.”
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also reported a sharp rise in returns from Iran in recent months. In May alone, more than 15,000 Afghan families crossed back into Afghanistan from Iran.
Iran had set a July 6 deadline for all undocumented Afghans to leave the country — a move that could impact up to four million people, the IOM warns.
Last year, over 1.2 million Afghans returned from Iran, with nearly 70% of them reportedly deported.
Afghans are also being expelled from neighboring Pakistan. Since Islamabad launched its deportation campaign in October 2023, at least 1.3 million people have been forced to leave. The UN estimates another 1.6 million could be deported this year.
UN agencies, rights groups, and Afghan activists have repeatedly urged Iran and Pakistan to stop mass deportations. They argue that the situation under Taliban rule remains unsuitable for return, citing ongoing human rights violations and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
