By Fidel Rahmati
Khaama Press

Over one million Afghan refugees were deported by Iranian authorities in one year, highlighting escalating enforcement of strict immigration policies.
Iranian media, citing government officials, reported that over 1.12 million Afghan migrants were deported from Iran during the solar year March 2024–March 2025, as part of Tehran’s intensified policy to curb illegal immigration.
Saeed Montazerolmahdi, spokesperson for Iran’s law enforcement command, announced on Saturday that the expulsions were carried out under a nationwide crackdown targeting undocumented foreign nationals. He said the operations became more intensive throughout the year.
According to Montazerolmahdi, a total of 1,190 separate deportation rounds were conducted under the “Deportation Plan,” contributing to what he claimed was a 7% reduction in kidnapping incidents nationwide.
Earlier, Ahmadreza Radan, Iran’s police chief, had set a target to deport two million undocumented migrants by the end of March 2024. Though that goal was not met, the number deported still reflects a massive scale of forced repatriation.
Authorities launched widespread raids across migrant-populated areas, conducted home inspections, and used key border crossings like Islam Qala in Herat and Pul-e-Abrisham in Nimroz for deportations.
This mass deportation marks one of the largest waves of forced returns in Iran’s recent history. It comes at a time when Afghanistan remains gripped by economic instability, insecurity, and soaring unemployment.
The return of the Taliban to power in August 2021 triggered a renewed surge in Afghan migration to neighboring countries, especially Iran and Pakistan. Iran, long a host to millions of Afghan refugees, now faces mounting economic and security pressures, prompting stricter immigration enforcement.
Human rights organizations have raised concerns about the humanitarian consequences of these expulsions. With limited reintegration support and ongoing crises in Afghanistan, the expelled migrants are at risk of further displacement, poverty, and abuse.