Three-minute read
In recent years, the clerical regime in Iran has periodically incited waves of anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly targeting Afghan refugees. But what is the reason behind this strategy?
Since 1979, when the Soviet Union intervened in Afghanistan, the first wave of Afghan migration to Iran began, bringing nearly one million Afghan refugees into the country. A second wave occurred in the early 1990s with the rise of the Taliban, once again flooding Iran with Afghan refugees. The third wave coincided with the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in the early 2000s, and the most recent wave began in early 2021 following the Taliban’s return to power.
According to unofficial statistics, by last year, around 1 to 1.5 million Afghan refugees had entered Iran. This latest wave of refugees has been accompanied by considerable controversy.
The Iranian regime claims that these controversies stem from the illegal entry of Afghan refugees and the lack of proper management of their settlement. As a result, the government frequently disseminates incomplete and misleading information about Afghan refugees, creating a climate of fear and distrust.
#Iran’s Regime Exploits #Afghan Migrants amidst Its Own Criseshttps://t.co/21g1Ao2B8T
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 11, 2023
One such instance occurred during a press conference held by Davood Zare, the Director-General of Alborz Province’s Health Insurance, on August 28. He stated that over 73% of all births in the province last year were cesarean sections and that more than 50% of these births involved foreign nationals. This statement raises several questions: how many Afghan refugees actually reside in Alborz Province, how many women among them are of childbearing age, and how could such a large percentage of births be attributed to Afghan refugees?
The dissemination of such false information by the Iranian regime is a deliberate tactic to heighten tensions and create fear against Afghan nationals. In recent months, various reports about Afghan refugees have circulated, stoking public anxiety and leading to renewed waves of xenophobia and anti-Afghan sentiment.
Initially, state media spread rumors of a leprosy outbreak in the country, falsely attributing the cause to Afghan refugees. In response, Mahshid Nasehi, the head of the Leprosy and Tuberculosis Department at the Ministry of Health, officially denied these claims. Despite this, further reports emerged suggesting that Afghan migrants were responsible for spreading another disease. The head of the Ministry of Health’s Communicable Diseases Management Center announced that several nationals from eastern neighboring countries had entered Iran illegally and were in poor health conditions, with some reportedly contracting cholera.
#Iran: Zarif’s Lies To Whitewash the Scandal Over Using Afghan Refugees in Iran as Cannon Fodder in the War in #Syriahttps://t.co/LID75H74jm
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 24, 2021
Some of these reports are based on real events but are heavily distorted, while others are entirely fabricated. The primary issue behind such reports is the lack of proper management of newly arrived Afghan refugees and the uncertainty surrounding their numbers.
The question remains: How many undocumented or unregistered refugees have entered the country that leads some individuals to spread such fear-inducing reports to create insecurity in society?
This fear and anxiety caused by such reports continue to persist in parts of society, leading to a dichotomy in coexistence with refugees, yielding no benefit but only harm.
This situation harms not only the Iranian community but also the long-established Afghan residents in Iran, making their interactions with Iranian society more difficult. The regime also exploits these refugees whenever it suits its agenda. Whenever it needs to, it uses this issue to distract from the country’s main news and current events.
This is a long-running game that the Iranian regime has played for years with Afghan refugees and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Whenever the clerical regime encounters a problem with UN agencies or is about to face a report on human rights violations in Iran, it uses Afghan refugees as a bargaining chip against the UN.
The regime stirs up anti-immigrant and anti-Afghan sentiment and then presents this as a popular demand from the Iranian people. However, this narrative is fundamentally false. The Iranian people have lived peacefully with Afghan refugees for decades.
#Iran Regime Coerces Afghans to Fight and Die in #Syriahttps://t.co/kK0zR811ya pic.twitter.com/7iCa1FB68V
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) July 31, 2018
Afghan refugees perform the hardest and most demanding jobs in Iran for the lowest wages and services, yet in the end, they fall victim to the regime’s manipulative games.
The Iranian government’s recent surge in anti-Afghan rhetoric comes at a time when the regime is grappling with increasing international scrutiny over its human rights abuses and a slew of domestic crises, including economic hardship, widespread corruption, and public unrest.
Amidst mounting pressure from both inside and outside the country, the regime is using Afghan refugees as scapegoats and the cause of social and economic problems rather than addressing the regime’s own role in creating these challenges.
