Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, has announced that the country plans to deport at least two million undocumented migrants from Afghanistan by the end of 1404 (March 2026). Despite the expulsion of 1.2 million people this year alone, Momeni stated that around six million Afghanistani migrants remain in Iran.
Speaking to reporters in Mashhad, Momeni claimed that over 70 percent of those deported had “voluntarily” returned to Afghanistan, with most re-entering through the Islam Qala border crossing.
He insisted that the deportations should not be viewed as hostility toward migrants, stating that “every country has its own regulations concerning foreign nationals.”
The minister noted that illegal border crossings by Afghanistan residents had dropped by 70 percent since the construction of a border wall along Iran’s northeastern frontier. So far, 130 kilometers of this barrier have been completed, thanks to the efforts of Iranian army engineers.
Highlighting progress in the past year, Momeni said, “We hope continued collaboration among officials will help remove existing obstacles.” He added that Iran is also employing electronic surveillance systems alongside physical barriers.
Momeni emphasized that the wall aims to stop illegal migration and curb drug trafficking across the border.
Meanwhile, the governor of Razavi Khorasan told the state-run IRNA news agency that while smuggling of traditional narcotics into Iran has decreased, the trafficking of synthetic drugs is on the rise.
In total, Iran plans to fortify 953 kilometers of its shared border with Afghanistan.
