Iran accuses Afghans of collaborating with Israel during war

Iranian authorities have accused some Afghan nationals of collaborating with Israeli intelligence during the recent conflict, allegedly carrying out armed operations and passing on sensitive information, Radio France Internationale reported on July 1st.

In response, Iranian security forces have launched widespread arrest campaigns in Tehran and other provinces, accelerating the departure of Afghan workers from the country. In a month, over 230,000 Afghans have left Iran.

Zarif, an Afghan worker and ex-soldier who fled the Taliban to find work in Iran, spoke of the growing pressure: “I’m leaving too. They hassle us constantly. They tell us to go. If we stay, there’s a fine or even prison. They say to return to Afghanistan and come back with a passport. But even then, they won’t let us stay. That’s why so many are leaving. The border is clogged.”

He is leaving alongside his friend Mohammad, who described being stopped twice in Tehran. “Yesterday, I was stopped on the subway,” he recalled. “I asked why they were arresting me. They said, ‘Maybe you’re a spy,’ They took me to the police station, where I had to wait for two or three hours in the sun. I was lucky to have been released.”

Over five million Afghans are estimated to be living in Iran, around two million of them undocumented, working in sectors like construction, agriculture, and manufacturing. Their mass departure might cause a lot of damage to Iran’s already fragile economy.

Radio France Internationale, Maghrebi.org