Iran expels Afghan immigrants, accusing them of espionage

Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have left Iran in recent weeks.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 256,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan from Iran in June alone.

Iranian officials say there are more than 6 million Afghans living in the country, most of whom are undocumented.

Iran's 12-day war with Israel, which began in mid-June, also affected the exodus. According to reports circulating on Iranian state media and social media, an unknown number of Afghan citizens have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel.

Several Afghan immigrants living in Iran told RFE/RL that Afghan citizens arrested on espionage charges were subjected to harassment upon arrest and then deported to Afghanistan, even despite having valid documents.

In addition, more than 800,000 Afghans have returned from Iran since January.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees are also coming from Pakistan - Pakistan plans to deport 3 million Afghans from the country this year.

This could further complicate the situation in Afghanistan.