'Racist' Treatment of Afghan Migrants Provokes Reaction From Top Iranian Official

Ali Rabiei, an aide to Iran's president, called the treatment of Afghan refugees in the country "ugly" and "racist”.

Posting a video of the persecution of Afghan refugees in the country, he said that such behaviour is "unjustifiable" and "painful". According to the video, a number of Iranian men harass and use violence against Afghan women.

Masoud Pezeshkian's aide wrote on the social media network X on Wednesday, "The ugly racist acts towards immigrants are unjustifiable and are not compatible with Iranian culture and spirit. Just as it saddens us to see an Iranian girl suffering, it should also cause us pain and regret to see Afghan girls being slapped.”

Rabiei stressed that "the issue of refugees should only be addressed and resolved within a logical, planned and policy-oriented framework”.

He also stressed on the need to preserve the human dignity of Afghan refugees, saying, "Human dignity must be preserved for everyone, anywhere in the world."

Over the past few months, in addition to physical violence against migrants, there has been a campaign of anti-Afghan and deportation of migrants on social media in Iran.

With the advent of Iran's new government, living conditions have become more difficult for immigrants. Iran plans to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants by the end of this year. This process is accompanied by arrests, harassment and violence by government agents and ordinary citizens against Afghan refugees.

To discourage immigrants from coming to Iran, the Iranian government has increased restrictions on work and life in Iran. The government has banned the entry of Afghan refugees into some cities and provinces and warned employers against hiring them.

Authorities have threatened that hiring Afghan refugees could lead to up to a year in prison. Also, in some areas, immigrants are denied the right to rent a house.