Around 800,000 Afghans have left Iran from the beginning of 2025 until July 16, with more than 70% departing voluntarily, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni claimed, Donya-e Eqtesad reported on July 17.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the departure of unauthorised Afghans reflects public demand and represents an important step in economic organisation, given that many of Iran's economies involve subsidies.

Iranian officials have been under mounting pressure from the public as hundreds of thousands of Afghans have crossed the border in recent years, with public sentiment turning hostile to the large number of foreigners in cities, including Tehran, Shiraz and Yazd in recent years. Iranian social media alleges that Afghan men have increased crime rates; however, official data has not corroborated such claims. 

Fears have grown internationally that Iranian authorities are targeting poor Afghans following arrests of several Afghan nationals during the Israeli strikes on the country in recent weeks. Iran has stepped up efforts to round up Afghans across the country and push them back across the border, with fears about the ability of the fledgling Afghan Taliban regime to deal with the large numbers arriving.

Iran previously hosted one of the world's largest refugee populations, with millions of Afghans living in the country, many of whom had fled decades of conflict in their homeland, with the latest wave coming in 2022 when the Taliban ousted the US-backed regime and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in replace of the former Islamic Republic set up after the American invasion in 2001.

"The departure of unauthorised Afghans is what the people want, and given that a large volume of our economy is subsidised, naturally organising unauthorised Afghans is considered important in the direction of economic organisation," Mohajerani said.

Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Law Enforcement, visited the Dogharoun border crossing in Taybad to observe the departure process of unauthorised Afghan nationals. He said the official Dogharoun border crossing with Afghanistan serves as the primary gateway for unauthorised Afghan nationals returning to their country.

"A large number of unauthorised Afghan migrants choose Dogharoun to leave Iran," he said, adding that most unauthorised Afghan nationals present at the country's exit borders are self-identifying and voluntary departures.

The Deputy Interior Minister emphasised that the return of unauthorised Afghan nationals "will definitely not cause any damage to the bond between the two Muslim and neighbouring nations".

The departure process continues as part of Iran's efforts to manage its Afghan population and address economic pressures related to subsidised services.

Bnm IntelliNews was unable to verify the claims by the Iranian government of the voluntary resettlement, with both Afghan and Iranian officials not commenting on the moves to remove the foreign nationals.

Reports began surfacing in June that Iran had begun its process of removing the Afghans from the country with orders for all "unauthorised foreign nationals" to leave the country.

Under the new directive, any property rented to Afghans will have its lease agreements declared void, with such properties to be sealed and confiscated by authorities. The measures represent a significant escalation in Iran's approach to undocumented foreign residents.