OMM Redaksiyası
Mohammad Said and his family, who moved to Iran after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, are among thousands of Afghans returning because of the deepening economic crisis in Iran.
Said said the family returned to Afghanistan with almost nothing. The value of their savings held in rials fell by more than two-thirds after the sharp depreciation of Iran’s currency.
The worsening economic situation in Iran has forced many Afghans to return. Some are arriving with their wives and daughters, despite the severe restrictions imposed on women’s education, travel and employment in Afghanistan.
Most returnees say they had been unemployed for months before leaving Iran and that rapidly rising inflation had pushed them into an untenable situation. Food inflation has reached about 130%, making basic products such as bread and milk increasingly difficult to afford.
According to surveys by the International Organization for Migration, only 29% of Afghans returning from Iran still have any savings. Their average income during the crisis fell by about one-third compared with its previous level.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 2 million Afghans have left Iran over the past two years. Most had faced deportation policies or pressure from Iranian authorities before the latest wave of returns.
However, the number of women and entire families returning amid the recent war and economic crisis has increased. Abdul Jabbar, 44, who had lived in Iran for about 40 years, said he had not wanted to take his wife, two daughters, grandchild and mother back to Afghanistan.
Jabbar said work stopped after missile strikes on a nearby military base. His relatives in Afghanistan advised him to return, promising employment and security.
Abdul Ghani Qazizada, a border official of the Taliban government, said that 20 to 40 families, including women and girls, return voluntarily each day through the Islam Qala crossing. He said the wages they earn in Iran are insufficient to meet people’s basic needs.
Some returnees are seeking new business opportunities in Afghanistan. One family involved in the cheese business in Iran is trying to re-establish its operations in Afghanistan, noting that high-quality pizza cheese remains scarce in the Afghan market.
The family said they work with girls who, under Taliban rules, are denied the right to continue their education after sixth grade and at university. The family’s 17-year-old daughter is facing serious difficulties because she cannot continue her education.
