Herat, Afghanistan — July 6, 2025 — In a sweeping crackdown on undocumented migrants, Iran has deported more than 300,000 Afghans in under two weeks, Afghan border officials confirmed Sunday, reported by TOLOnews. The mass expulsions, which have funneled thousands daily through the Islam Qala border crossing in western Herat province, come as Tehran enforces a hard deadline to expel foreign nationals lacking legal status.
Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of information and culture in Herat, said the influx includes both deportees and a smaller number of voluntary returnees. “By the twelfth day, more than 300,000 migrants had entered Afghanistan through Islam Qala,” he reported.
Returnees recount harrowing experiences. Many say conditions in Iran deteriorated sharply following recent military tensions between Iran and Israel. Afghan migrants have faced intensified scrutiny, arrests, and violence at the hands of Iranian security forces.
“When the conflict with Israel escalated, everything changed for us,” said Samiullah, one of the deportees. “Four of our compatriots were accused of being enemies and taken to a detention camp. I saw one man beaten unconscious.”
Others, like Zamari, described skyrocketing travel costs and mistreatment during transit. “It was unbearable. Checkpoints were everywhere, and Afghans were dragged off buses without cause,” added Atiqullah, another returnee.
The Taliban-led caretaker government has urged Tehran to halt the mistreatment of Afghan nationals. Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Deputy Administrative Chief of Staff, stated that the issue would be raised through diplomatic channels. “We call on Iranian officials to uphold Islamic values and neighborly conduct,” Hanafi said. “Mistreatment of migrants, especially those still entangled in financial obligations, must stop.”
Daily return figures through Islam Qala have peaked at up to 50,000, prompting urgent appeals for humanitarian support in border provinces. With no clear end in sight, Afghanistan now faces the mounting burden of reintegrating hundreds of thousands amid deepening economic woes.
