Iran deports thousands of Afghan refugees, intensifying pressure on job market in Afghanistan

Kabul, Aug 6 Iran has deported thousands of Afghan refugees, many of whom had long been employed in sectors such as agriculture, construction, and skilled trades. Their sudden return is placing immense strain on Afghanistan’s already fragile economy, creating an urgent need for employment opportunities and essential support services, local media reported.

Abdul Rahim, one of the Afghan migrants who had worked in Iran’s agricultural sector for four years, said that he can support his six-member family using his skills if employment opportunities are made available in the home country.

“We have now returned to our own country. We used to work in agriculture there. If an opportunity arises here in the agricultural sector, I would be happy because I have skills in this field,” Afghan media outlet TOLO news quoted Rahim as saying.

“If the work we did in Iran was available in our own country, we would never go to Iran. The Iranian government and people mistreated us. We rented houses there, and they would not pay us our wages,” said another Afghan migrant.

Recently, Ahmadullah Wasiq, spokesperson of the Afghan Commission for Refugee Affairs, condemned the Iranian government for the ill treatment of Afghan migrants and urged them to coordinate with the Afghan government for the deportation process.

He called on the international organisations to scale up their humanitarian assistance to returnees in coordination with the Refugee Affairs Commission.

Earlier, Fatima, one of the deportees from Iran who had lived with her family in Iran for three years, recounted the abuses by Iranian officials, TOLO news reported.

“We were brought from the camp, and they told us not to bring anything because they would help us. But on the way, no one gave us anything, and my children became very hungry. They harassed us during the journey, taking our money and phones,” she stated.

According to a report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from the beginning of 2025 to August 1, more than 2.1 million Afghans have been deported from Iran and Pakistan and returned to their country.

“Since 1 April, as of July 30, 1.4 million Afghans returned from Iran and 303,300 from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Over 2.1 million Afghans from Iran and Pakistan have returned in 2025. Despite high protection and basic needs, the Afghanistan situation is critically underfunded, receiving only 24 per cent of the required $478 million for this year,” the report added.

Several deported Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan had raised concerns about their difficult living conditions in their home country due to a lack of shelter, unemployment, and basic services.

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