ISLAM QALA, Afghanistan — Thousands of Afghan migrants are returning to their homeland, escaping a severe economic crisis in Iran that has rendered their savings nearly worthless and left many without work. The mass return forces families back to Afghanistan, where Taliban rule imposes strict limitations, particularly on women.
Iran's economy has contracted sharply, driven by its ongoing conflict with the U.S. and Israel. The Iranian rial has lost over two-thirds of its value, decimating the savings of both Iranian citizens and Afghan migrants. Tightening international sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz have halted crude oil exports, a critical source of national revenue.
Consumer prices in Iran have surged by nearly 90 percent year-on-year, according to Iran's Statistical Centre. Food inflation has reached almost 130 percent, making essential goods like bread and milk increasingly unaffordable.
Mohammad Saeed, now 18, fled to Iran with his family in 2021 to escape the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan. He is among those now returning. Saeed said his family came back to Afghanistan nearly empty-handed, their Iranian rial savings wiped out.
For decades, Iran's more industrialized economy offered refuge for Afghans escaping poverty and, at times, harsh Taliban governance during the 1990s and again since 2021. But current conditions have made returning to Afghanistan the only viable option for many.
Many returning Afghans reported being out of work for several months and struggling with spiraling inflation before deciding to leave Iran. Sayed Jawed Qazi Khani, a 40-year-old migrant, said Afghan salesmen once profited significantly in Iranian bazaars, selling goods at roughly double their purchase price. That trade has collapsed due to inflation and weak consumer demand, leaving only low-wage day labor.
Surveys by the International Organization for Migration show that only 29 percent of Afghan migrants recently returning from Iran had any savings left. Their average income had fallen by nearly one-third compared to pre-crisis levels.
At the Islam Qala border crossing, a continuous stream of returning migrants undergoes document checks and registration in makeshift shipping containers. The landscape awaiting returnees includes barren desert mountains and a pothole-studded highway leading to Herat, western Afghanistan's largest city.
These families, including wives and daughters, are returning despite severe restrictions on women's education, travel and employment under Taliban rule. The difficult choice underscores the dire economic situation they faced in Iran.
