Key Facts
• Over 500,000 Afghans expelled from Iran in 16 days post-Israel conflict.
• Iran’s deportation program accelerated after 12-day clash with Israel.
• UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported 508,426 Afghans left Iran from June 24 to July 9.
• Peak deportation: 51,000 on July 4; 30,635 on July 8; 33,956 on July 9.
• Iran set July 13 as the deadline for undocumented Afghan migrants to leave.
• Claims of Afghan migrants engaging in espionage during Israel conflict lack evidence.
• Deportees face harsh conditions: 40°C heat and overcrowded Afghan border centers.
• IOM: Half of 2025 deportees arrived after June 1; 250,000 in one week of July.
• Many deportees lived in Iran for years without proper documentation.
• UN official Richard Bennett criticized Iran for detaining ethnic and religious minorities.
• Iran cites national security as justification for deportations.
Summary
Iran has expelled over 500,000 Afghan migrants in just 16 days following its conflict with Israel, according to the United Nations. The deportation program, part of a broader initiative announced in March, intensified after the 12-day clash, with Iran alleging espionage by Afghan migrants, though evidence remains scarce. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported a significant surge in deportations, with 508,426 Afghans leaving Iran between June 24 and July 9. Many deportees, who had lived in Iran for years without proper documentation, now face extreme conditions, including 40°C heat and overcrowded border facilities in Afghanistan. Critics argue that Iran’s actions target vulnerable minorities and aim to deflect domestic dissent. Iran, however, defends the deportations as necessary for national security.
