Stefan Priesner is the UN resident coordinator in Tehran, the UN's most senior official in the country, has said the organisation's humanitarian and development aid budget to the country would need to double following the 12-day war with Israel, Agence France-Presse reported on July 1.

The UN oversees aid operations in a country hosting approximately 3.5mn Afghan refugees, but will now need to find additional funding as Iran intends to move many of them back across the border to Afghanistan.

"We are now doing the budgeting for 2025, Priesner told a press briefing in Geneva. "It's a significant increase. It's a bit early to say how much we need. But we certainly would expect a doubling of the funding."

Without directly mentioning the UN’s increasing role in dealing with the influx of Afghans in recent years, the UN, along with other organisations, including the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) have been pivotal in supporting the large number of refugees in the country.

Last year's UN budget for development and humanitarian affairs in Iran was $75mn, with roughly $50mn allocated for refugees and $25mn for development programmes. Iran previously the largest number of refugees globally, with around 3.5mn people, most from Afghanistan.

The funding requirements come as Iran has ordered mass deportations of undocumented Afghans, with Taliban officials reporting over 10,000 migrants entering Afghanistan daily through the Islam Qala border crossing.

This forced exodus prompted by Israel paying hundreds of Afghans to take part in its recent espionage activities across Iran with mobile drone launchers has created additional humanitarian pressure on the already massively overstretched Iranian administration.

Speaking from Tehran, Priesner said he hoped aid and development would be seen as separate from other issues (potentially referring to sanctions) and the situation would trigger the international community to increase support.

Israel launched a major bombing campaign against Iran on June 13, killing more than 1000 people, including civilians, according to the latest numbers from the Iranian health ministry.  

Iran retaliated with waves of missiles and drone strikes hitting Israeli cities, with official Israeli numbers in the mid-twenties.

A ceasefire took effect on June 24, brokered by US President Donald Trump

In 2022, the UN and Iranian government agreed on a five-year programme covering public health, socio-economic resilience, environmental protection, disaster reduction and management, and drug control. The UN is now discussing with Tehran how to adapt the programme to meet emerging needs following the conflict.

Priesner indicated the UN normally has 50 international staff in Iran and about 500 local staff. Although some employees and their families had to leave homes when Israeli bombardment began, normal operations resumed on June 30.