Several asylum seekers from Afghanistan in Iran have expressed deep concern over their uncertainty and helplessness in the country. They emphasize that they fled to Iran to escape retaliation by the Taliban, but now feel unsafe there as well under the shadow of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. According to them, they witness these attacks day and night, and even the walls of the homes they live in have developed cracks.
Following the escalation of joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran, several Afghanistan asylum seekers have voiced concern over their difficult situation, uncertainty, and lack of a clear future. They say that living amid fear of war and the threat of returning to Afghanistan has become an exhausting experience. They stress that they are deeply worried about their own future and that of their children, as at any moment there is the possibility of bombs falling on their homes.
Parwana (pseudonym), one of the girls deprived of education, says that she came to this country with her family to continue her studies and work. Still, they are now in a very worrying situation. She adds that her father had a military background and, due to fear of the Taliban, they were forced to leave Afghanistan. According to her, alongside the pressures and concerns caused by the intense Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, finding work has also become extremely difficult.
She says: “Finding work has become very difficult. Even if a job is found, no one can work with peace of mind. The airstrikes are very intense, to the extent that even the walls of our house have cracked. There is no safe place. An area was targeted that is only ten minutes away from us. No matter how much we try, we get no results and cannot go anywhere.”
Another asylum seeker says that he is in a state of limbo. According to him, uncertainty and an unclear future, combined with the war conditions in Iran and fear of retaliation by the Taliban in Afghanistan, have made life extremely difficult. He stresses that he does not know how long he can continue living without imagining a clear future amid these hardships, and considers the continuation of this situation as a gradual death.
This asylum seeker says, “We have no future. Uncertainty, suspension, migration, and war, all pressures have come upon us at once.
We do not know how long we must remain in such a situation. At least Iran, despite all its hardships, allowed us to stay and work, and it was possible to find employment, but what now? Neither is this a place to stay, nor is Afghanistan a place for us, nor do Europe and the United States accept us. We are left confused about what to do and where to go. Our children are without a future and deprived of the right to education, and we are in an even worse situation than they are, wandering at crossroads in search of work. We have a very hellish and difficult life.”
At the same time, several asylum seekers confirm that despite the joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, people in this country continue their daily lives. According to them, supporters of the government chant in favor of the system in the streets, while neutral citizens are busy with their work and livelihoods, and most people are not afraid of the current war.
One of these asylum seekers says, “People in Iran are not worried about the war at all and are busy with their work and livelihood. For example, if you look at the streets, people are laughing, and young men and women go to cafés. Although Tehran has been somewhat emptied and no longer has its former vibrancy, and shops are not open as much as before, or if they are open, they close earlier at night.” According to him, internet access has also not been cut off as it was during the protests in the month of Jadi last year. He says that at that time the “national internet and domestic messaging platforms” were not functioning and even SMS services were cut, but now the national internet is active and people can connect to the international internet by purchasing VPN services at high cost.
Afghanistan asylum seekers in Iran are expressing concern about their situation, while media outlets in the country have reported that six members of a refugee family were killed in an airstrike on Iran. According to reports, the attack took place in the city of Rey, on the outskirts of Tehran, where four Iranian citizens also lost their lives.
Earlier, Tasnim News Agency reported that an Afghanistan citizen named Kawsar Adeli was killed in U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. According to the report, this Afghanistan citizen lost his life in attacks on Monday, March 24, targeting residential areas in the Khairabad area of Varamin.
This is the first time that the killing of an Afghanistan citizen in U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran has been reported; however, the actual number of casualties among Afghanistan migrants in these attacks is still unknown.
Recently, the Norwegian Refugee Council expressed concern over the dire situation and lack of safety for Afghanistan asylum seekers in Iran. According to the organization, more than four million citizens of Afghanistan in Iran are among the most vulnerable groups. The council also stated that many families have lost their livelihoods after losing their informal jobs in Iran, which were often their only source of income.
In a statement, the council said that many of these asylum seekers live in cities that are under attack, and many are unable to leave Iran because they have nowhere else to go or are not permitted to exit. According to the council, more than 35,000 people have returned to Afghanistan, but more than one million others are at risk of deportation, while Afghanistan does not have the capacity to receive such a large number of returning migrants.
Previously, Amnesty International and UN Women, in separate statements, emphasized the need to address the critical situation of returning women and children. According to statistics, a significant portion of these asylum seekers are women and girls who, after enduring the shock of war and renewed displacement, return to a country where they face widespread restrictions on basic rights, education, and employment, and have very limited access to specialized support services.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
زندهگی زیر بمب و بیسرنوشتی؛ پناهجویان افغانستان در ایران در میان جنگ و آوارهگی بیپناهاند
