Tehran has sought protection of its diplomatic missions in Afghanistan and “necessary guarantees” for the safe operation of its diplomatic offices in the country following rallies held by Afghans in various provinces in reaction to reported incidents of harassment of Afghan migrants in Iran.
The call was made by the Iran Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, at a press conference, according to a statement by Iranian Foreign Ministry.
“Referring to the deep historical and multi-layered relations between Iranian and Afghan nations and the decades of respectful hospitality of the Iranian people and government to the people of Afghanistan, he warned against the plans of conspirators and ill-wishers between Iran and Afghanistan,” the statement read.
“Unfortunately, some clips and comments are being published with the aim of creating phobia of Iran or Afghanistan, which targets the emotions of the people and demands more vigilance from the people and officials of the two countries,” the statement added.
This comes as the Afghans set rallies in several provinces where they criticized the reported incidents of Iranian forces mistreatment with Afghan migrants in Iran.
A number of Kabul residents held a rally on Tuesday morning at Sehat Ama Roundabout in reaction to the issue, calling for an end to misconducts towards Afghan migrants in the neighboring country.
“They should stop their bad treatment of Afghans. We Afghans today came out to call on our government and the international community to stop these actions against Afghans,” a protestor said.
On Monday, dozens of people took to the streets of Herat city to protest the issue. The protestors threw stones at the embassy and set fire to the embassy gate.
“They are torturing our brothers. What we have done? Did we steal anything? No. We just go there because of poverty,” said a protestor in Kabul.
In a report, IOM stated that over one million Afghans were deported or returned to Afghanistan in 2021, while thousands more are leaving the country in search of a better life.
The report adds that IOM Afghanistan has launched a program to support undocumented returnees in Afghanistan.
“IOM’s Protection teams are providing emergency response to undocumented returnees, IOM is supporting them to access crucial protection services,” said the report.
The organization further said that Afghanistan is experiencing a complex humanitarian crisis with rising unemployment, food insecurity and uncertain safety.
Emal, a nineteen-year-old, is struggling with difficulties, saying he has decided to leave home for Iran to seek job opportunities.
“Going to Iran is really hard, especially in this cold weather, but I am obliged … I am unemployed here and cannot pay my home’s expenses here,” he told TOLOnews.
“After the recent changes happened in Afghanistan, a large number of migrants have left for Iran, however, recently fewer people are coming to Iran because of the cold season,” said Mohammad Khan Talebi, migration expert in Iran.
Meanwhile, Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesman of the government, said the Islamic Emirate will seek to create employment opportunities for Afghan youth to prevent them from illegal travel.
Hundreds of residents of the southeastern province of Khost have staged a rally in the provincial capital city, where they call on Iran to stop mistreatment of Afghan refugees.
Meanwhile, Khatibzadeh was quoted by the statement as saying that they are in constant contact with the ambassador and other officials of the Iran mission in Afghanistan.—Tolonews
