Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, has announced that the country’s top priority is the deportation of nearly two million undocumented migrants, citing mounting economic and social pressures.

Speaking to reporters in Kerman Province on Friday, 16 May, Momeni stated that Iran no longer has the capacity to accommodate additional migrants. He claimed that undocumented migrants, most of whom are Afghan nationals, are occupying job opportunities and consuming substantial government subsidies.

“Iran has hosted millions of migrants for decades due to regional instability, particularly from Afghanistan,” Momeni said. “But we are not economically or socially equipped to absorb such a large number.”

He added that, beginning in 2024, the government initiated new measures to tighten border controls and accelerate the deportation process.

While acknowledging Iran’s deep historical, cultural, and religious ties with its neighbours, Momeni emphasised the need for pragmatic policies. “The issue of undocumented migrants poses both humanitarian and economic challenges,” he said. “We hope our Afghan brothers and sisters will return to their country and contribute to rebuilding their homeland.”

The minister’s remarks come amid worsening conditions for Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Iran. According to Iran’s Office for Migration Affairs, over 2.2 million Afghans were deported last year alone.

Among those deported were former Afghan military personnel and government employees who had fled Afghanistan fearing Taliban retaliation. Human rights groups have raised serious concerns about the forced return of these individuals, warning they could face arrest, persecution, or even execution upon re-entering Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.