Iran repatriates nearly 1.2 mln undocumented Afghans since March: interior minister

TEHRAN, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran has repatriated nearly 1.2 million undocumented Afghans since March 21, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said on Monday.

Momeni told reporters in the northeastern city of Mashhad that more than 70 percent of the repatriations during that period were voluntary, the official news agency IRNA reported. He noted that the highest number of returns took place through the border between Iran's Khorasan Razavi province and Afghanistan's Herat province.

The minister estimated that over 6 million Afghans are living in Iran and said an additional 800,000 undocumented Afghans would be repatriated by the end of the current Iranian year on March 20, 2026.

Momeni emphasized the importance of following legal procedures and preserving the dignity of migrants during the deportation process. Iranian authorities have recently intensified efforts to encourage undocumented foreigners to return home. ■