UN: 1.2 million Afghans have already left Iran

More than 1.2 million Afghans have left Iran for Afghanistan since the beginning of the year under pressure from the Iranian authorities, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

About half of them were forcibly deported, said Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva.

The exodus has increased drastically in recent weeks, he said. Since the beginning of June, more than 600,000 people have arrived in Afghanistan from Iran, he added.

During the brief war between Israel and Iran last month, the Iranian security authorities intensified their repression of Afghans. Hundreds were arrested on charges of espionage or sabotage, state media reported.

After the war, Iran also announced that it would expel all foreigners without valid residence permits.

Even before the military escalation with Israel, there were heated debates in the country about the high number of refugees from neighbouring Afghanistan, who had left their homeland in droves after the Taliban retook power nearly four years ago. Many of them worked in the low-wage sector in the major cities.

Iran is the world's most important host country for Afghan refugees, according to the UNHCR, which reported in April that there were about 3.5 million Afghans in Iran.

Many of the current arrivals may have roots in Afghanistan, but have never been there, Baloch from the UNHCR said.

The representative of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRC) in Afghanistan, Sami Fakhouri, said that many of the arrivals had little idea of where they should go to live. They were also worried about their children, particularly about the safety and education of girls, he said.

Aid organizations are warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

The country is overwhelmed trying to deal with those arriving, the organization World Vision said. The economy is in ruins, and poor harvests as a result of climate change are exacerbating the distress, it said.

Many of the returnees arrive with only the clothes on their backs, World Vision said. According to the UN World Food Programme, nearly 10 million people in Afghanistan are threatened by hunger this summer.