Over half a million Afghans have been expelled from Iran in the past 16 days, marking one of the largest forced migrations in recent years, according to the United Nations.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 508,426 Afghans crossed the Iranian-Afghan border between June 24 and July 9. 

Iran has long planned to expel millions of undocumented Afghans. After the recent 12-day conflict with Israel, the deportations accelerated as Iranian officials accused Afghan migrants of spying for Israel. No evidence has been provided to support the claims.

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani defended the expulsions. “We’ve always striven to be good hosts, but national security is a priority, and naturally illegal nationals must return,” he told Reuters earlier this month. 

Deputy Interior Minister Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian added that while Afghans are “respected neighbours,” Iran’s resources are limited. He said the expulsions would continue “gradually.”

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal said over 1.6 million Afghans have already returned from Pakistan and Iran this year, with the majority coming from Iran. This number has already surpassed the UNHCR’s initial 2025 forecast of 1.4 million.

The UN refugee agency expects the total number of returnees to reach three million this year, Jamal added.