Iran plans mass deportation of 2 million Afghans

Iran has intensified its deportation efforts, aiming to expel at least two million undocumented migrants by the end of March 2025, according to Ahmad Reza Radan, commander of Iran’s law enforcement forces.

Although Radan did not explicitly mention any nationality, the term “foreign national” is widely used by Iranian officials and media to describe Afghan nationals, who constitute the overwhelming portion of the migrant population in Iran. 

United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimates that nearly 4.5 million Afghan nationals currently live in Iran. However, recent estimates mentioned in the Iranian media say the population has swelled to nearly 10 million Afghans - or more than 10 percent of the country's population.

Over 500,000 people have already been arrested and deported, and more than 250,000 have voluntarily turned themselves in, bringing the total of those deported to 750,000 according to Radan.

This comes as part of a broader crackdown that has seen increased deportations and stricter regulations on residency.

1.3 million Afghans were deported from Iran last year with more than 20,000 of them being children, and many of them unaccompanied.

With 2 million deportations planned in the next six months, these measures look set to intensify the difficulties faced by Afghan migrants and refugees, raising concerns about the broader social and humanitarian implications for the population fleeing Taliban rule in war-torn Afghanistan.