Geneva/Kabul, 30 June 2025 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is raising the alarm over an unprecedented surge in undocumented Afghan migrants returning from Iran, with over 256,000 people arriving in June alone. This record movement is pushing border resources to the brink, while critical funding gaps hinder the ability of IOM and partners to provide assistance, reaching only 10 per cent of those in need.
“The sheer number of returns from Iran, coming so soon after a spike from Pakistan, is placing immense strain on an already fragile response system,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. “Families are arriving with nothing but the clothes on their backs, exhausted and in urgent need of food, medical care and support. The scale of returns is deeply alarming and demands a stronger and more immediate international response. Afghanistan cannot manage this alone.”
The spike follows a 20 March deadline by the Government of Iran requiring all undocumented Afghans to leave the country. Returns began accelerating in April, continued through May, and peaked in June. On 25 June alone, IOM recorded more than 28,000 people crossing back into Afghanistan in a single day.
In total, IOM has recorded 714,572 Afghan migrants who returned from Iran between 1 January and 29 June 2025. Of these, 99 per cent were undocumented and 70 per cent were forcibly returned. A growing concern is the rise in families being deported, marking a shift from previous months when most returnees were single young men.
So far in June, over 23,000 returnees have received critical post-arrival support at IOM-run reception centres located at the Islam Qala and Milak border crossings, as well as at two associated transit facilities in Herat and Nimroz provinces. After screening, IOM and its partners provide food, temporary shelter, transportation, healthcare, cash assistance, and psychosocial support, particularly for vulnerable groups such as women and children.
IOM has consistently warned that Afghanistan is not equipped to absorb such high numbers of returnees. With nearly 900,000 returns from Iran and Pakistan combined this year, local systems are on the verge of collapse, threatening access to essential services for both returnees and host communities.
IOM continues to stress that returns must be safe, dignified and voluntary, and manageable for receiving communities. As numbers rise, the situation is becoming increasingly unsustainable. Without regional coordination and urgent funding, the risk of wider instability grows. IOM also urges investment in return areas to support reintegration and reduce unsafe, involuntary migration.
You can read the latest flash update here: https://tinyurl.com/4a5jyc53
For more information, please visit IOM’s Media Centre.