RASC News Agency: As the geopolitical conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel intensifies, Iranian authorities have markedly accelerated their crackdown on undocumented Afghanistani migrants, escalating arrests and forced deportations with alarming speed and severity. This development compounds the precarious situation of millions of Afghanistani refugees who have sought sanctuary in Iran amid decades of turmoil and displacement. On Saturday, June 21, Tehran Governor Mohammad Sadeq Motamedian announced that the identification, detention, transfer, and expulsion of Afghanistani nationals lacking legal residency documentation are being conducted with heightened efficiency and rigor. According to Motamedian, this operation represents a coordinated effort involving Iran’s law enforcement agencies, municipal bodies, public transportation services, and the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA).
During an inspection of a migrant detention facility near Tehran, Motamedian confirmed that the logistical framework for this accelerated deportation campaign is firmly established. He detailed that Afghanistani migrants are being systematically transported by bus under strict police supervision to border crossings for forced repatriation. In a stark appeal to the Iranian populace, Motamedian urged citizens to act as vigilant informants by reporting any suspected locations of undocumented Afghanistani migrants. “Every citizen can serve as a sentinel in this vital security and social campaign,” he asserted language that human rights advocates have condemned as dangerously inciting ethnic profiling and social discrimination.
Official Iranian rhetoric frequently refers to Afghanistani migrants as “foreign nationals,” a euphemism that, according to experts, deliberately depersonalizes this vulnerable group and obscures the full extent of systemic marginalization they endure. Estimates suggest that approximately six million Afghanistani refugees reside in Iran, many fleeing the prolonged conflict, economic destitution, and persecution aggravated since the Taliban’s resurgence in 2021. A significant proportion live without formal registration, leaving them highly susceptible to arbitrary detention, exploitation, and forced return to an unstable homeland. Following the recent surge in hostilities between Iran and Israel, the environment for Afghanistani migrants in Iran has deteriorated dramatically. Iranian state media outlets have publicized the arrest of several Afghanistani individuals on allegations yet to be independently verified of espionage and collaboration with “enemy” forces. Disturbingly, two detainees are reported to have confessed, under undisclosed circumstances, to providing Israeli intelligence with information on the locations of Iranian broadcasting facilities. Such claims remain uncorroborated and raise concerns over due process and coerced confessions.
Observers caution that the Iranian government is instrumentalizing Afghanistani migrants as political scapegoats amid its mounting regional isolation and internal pressures. This intensification of repression follows a broader pattern of neglect and abuse, with human rights organizations repeatedly condemning Iran for violating international refugee protections through arbitrary deportations and systemic discrimination. As Iran tightens its grip on Afghanistani refugees under the pretext of national security, the international community faces an urgent ethical and legal imperative to respond. The sustained silence or inaction risks consigning millions to statelessness and deepening humanitarian crises, while emboldening authoritarian practices that undermine regional stability and human dignity.
