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ARCHIVE - An Afghan man walks along the Afghan-Iranian border crossing at Islam Qala (archive photo). Photo: Petros Giannakouris/AP/dpa
Keystone
In the past six months, the Iranian government has deported 1.2 million Afghan refugees. According to Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, a further 800,000 of the six million Afghans will have to leave the country by March next year, bringing the total to two million.
This measure is being carried out within the legal framework for foreigners without valid residence status and has nothing to do with "xenophobia", the minister said, according to the Irna news agency.
Ongoing conflicts, extreme poverty and high unemployment force many Afghans to illegally cross the 300-kilometer border to Iran every year. Many of the Afghan refugees are employed in the low-wage sector in the major cities, for example in small supermarkets or on construction sites. They are considered hard-working and cheap labor.
A key reason for the mass deportations and the halt to further arrivals is the dire economic situation and high unemployment in Iran. The oil-rich country is facing the worst economic crisis in its history due to the nuclear dispute with the West and the associated international sanctions.
18.08.2025, 12:16
