Iran expelled 1.5 million Afghans in 2025, even some with valid papers, UN experts say
After setting a 6 July 2025 deadline for more than four million undocumented Afghans to leave, Iran forced out Afghans at an unprecedented pace following its June 2025 war with Israel. On 18 July 2025 UN experts, including the Special Rapporteurs on Iran and on Afghanistan, said more than 1.5 million Afghans had returned or been forced back from Iran in 2025, including 410,000 deported since 24 June, that returns had escalated against people with valid documentation, and that many had faced discrimination, arbitrary arrest and detention. Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett said hundreds of Afghans and minority community members in Iran had been detained and "accused of espionage," and migrants told RFE/RL that some detainees were mistreated and deported despite holding valid residency permits. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has documented torture and arbitrary detention of returnees by the Taliban, and the experts said the returns may breach the principle of non-refoulement.
Afghan nationals who were detained on spying allegations faced mistreatment in custody and were subsequently deported
In 2025 alone, more than 1.8 million people have returned to Afghanistan, 1.5 million of them from Iran.
Following the Iran-Israel conflict, forced returns of Afghan nationals have escalated, including those with valid documentation.
Iranian state media claimed an unspecified number of Afghans were arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel.
No outcome recorded yet.