Impoverished by war in Iran, Afghan migrants return to Taliban rule
More than 2 million Afghans have left Iran in two years as sanctions, inflation and wage losses make returning the only option, IOM data show.
- On Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Islam Qala border crossing, at least 20 to 40 families returned to Afghanistan daily, according to senior Taliban government official Abdul Ghani Qazizadeh.
- Consumer prices surged nearly 90% year on year, according to Iran's Statistical Centre, as tightening sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade left Iran without meaningful crude exports.
- Rezwana Jami and her son Mohammad Saeed returned five months ago after their cheese business collapsed due to food inflation reaching almost 130%, forcing them to use their last savings.
- Only 29% of returnees possess remaining savings, while Jami's daughter struggles with education restrictions, saying, "I studied for eight years, and now I'm just staying at home."
- More than 2 million Afghans have left Iran over the past two years, with recent returns increasingly shifting from forced deportations of men to voluntary family migration.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Iran’s wartime economic collapse drives Afghan migrants back to Taliban rule
With inflation near 90%, jobs disappearing and savings wiped out, Afghan families are leaving Iran for a homeland many once fled, forcing women and girls in particular to choose between deepening poverty and life under severe Taliban restrictions
Economic Crisis in Iran Pushes More Afghans to Return Home Despite Restrictions: Reuters
A deepening economic crisis in Iran is forcing growing numbers of Afghan migrants to return to Afghanistan, even as many face severe restrictions under Taliban rule, particularly women and girls, according to a Reuters report. Reuters reported that thousands of Afghans have left Iran in recent months as soaring inflation, a collapsing currency and shrinking […]
Iran war drives Afghan migrants back to Taliban rule
File image of Afghans returning home from Iran through the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat. (EPA Images pic)ISLAM QALA: Mohammad Saeed had just turned 18 when he fled to Iran with his parents and younger brother and sister, escaping the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.Now Saeed and his family are among thousands who have returned home to escape the economic crisis in Iran triggered by the conflict with the US and Israel.The …
Al-Monitor
Impoverished by war in Iran, Afghan migrants return to Taliban rule
By Mohammad Yunus Yawar , Sayed Hassib, Ahmad Masih Noori and Rick NoackISLAM QALA, Afghanistan, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Mohammad Saeed had just turned 18 when he fled to Iran with his parents and younger brother and sister, escaping the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.Now Saeed and his family are among thousands who have returned home to escape the economic crisis in Iran triggered by the conflict with the U.S. and Israel. The fami…
The deepening economic crisis in Iran, triggered by the war launched by the US and Israel on February 28, is forcing thousands of refugees who sought shelter in Afghanistan after the Taliban regained power in 2021 to return. According to the Iranian Statistics Center, consumer prices have increased by approximately 90 percent annually, and food prices by about 130 percent. According to research by the International Organization for Migration (IO…
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