Afghans In Iran Must Be Organised, Says Country’s Leader’s Representative

Mohammad Reza Naseri, the representative of Iran’s leader, Ali Khamenei, in Yazd province of Iran has called for the organisation of Afghans in Iran.

Naseri stated: "On one hand, Iran's population and birth rate has decreased, while on the other hand, we are witnessing an uncontrolled influx of foreign nationals in this area."

According to Iranian media, he told the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran that the presence of Afghans in Iran needs to be organised and managed.

Criticising the increasing presence of Afghans in Iran, he said that there should be more sensitivity on this issue.

Justifying his remarks, he claimed that "the uncontrolled presence of foreign nationals creates social problems and damages that must be taken seriously”.

Iranian officials have not released official statistics on the number of Afghans in the country, but some estimates suggest their population is between five and six million.

Khamenei's representative in Yazd, during a meeting with several Iranian military officials, said that the presence of Afghans needs to be organised.

Every week, Iran arrests thousands of Afghan migrants from various parts of the country and deports them to Afghanistan.

Earlier, the Director General of Citizenship and Foreign Nationals Affairs of Kermanshah province announced prohibition of Afghan migrants’ settlement, and employment in 16 provinces.

East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Gilan, Mazandaran, Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, and Hamedan are provinces where the settlement and employment of Afghans are prohibited.

In October 2023, more than 540 Iranian artists, lawyers, doctors, journalists, and civil and social activists called for an end to the harassment of Afghan migrants in Iran.