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Afghan refugees in Iran face ‘impossible choices,’ UNHCR official warns
A senior official from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says many Afghans living in Iran are facing increasingly difficult decisions as insecurity and economic hardship deepen across the region.
Arafat Jamal, the UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera that Afghans in Iran are caught between two difficult realities: remaining in Iran amid growing instability and economic strain, or returning to Afghanistan where many also face uncertainty and insecurity.
“At the moment, it seems to be more of a preemptive move,” Jamal said, referring to Afghans leaving Iran. “People are describing bombs falling around them. There is a great deal of fear, but they are also describing a dysfunctional economy.”
According to Jamal, approximately 110,000 Afghans have returned from Iran so far this year, many driven by fear of escalating conflict and deteriorating living conditions.
“For these people there are no good choices,” he said. “They are fleeing one war only to come to another,” Jamal added, referring to ongoing cross-border tensions and military activity involving Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The UNHCR official noted that the current wave of returns follows an already unprecedented movement of people.
In 2025, around 2.8 million Afghans returned to Afghanistan, making it the largest refugee return movement in the world that year.
Humanitarian agencies warn that Afghanistan is struggling to absorb such large numbers of returnees, particularly as the country faces widespread poverty, limited employment opportunities, and reduced international aid.
Jamal also cautioned that the United Nations currently lacks sufficient funding to maintain long-term assistance programs for returning refugees.
Without additional financial support, aid organizations may struggle to provide housing, food, and basic services to the growing number of returnees arriving in Afghanistan.
Noor Ahmad Islamjar has said construction of the Robat Paryan railway station in Herat Province is progressing steadily and is expected to be completed in the near future.
During an inspection of operations along the Khaf–Herat railway line, the governor visited the Robat Paryan station project and reviewed work across different sections, according to a statement from his office.
Islamjar provided guidance to project officials and called for efforts to accelerate implementation, the statement said.
He noted that the station is being built to international standards and added that, once completed, the railway line will be extended to Robat Paryan.
Project officials, meanwhile, said work is being expedited and expressed confidence that the station will soon become operational.
Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate, has held talks with Andrei Yevgenyevich Kuznetsov, Belarus’s Minister of Industry, on increasing the level of trade between the two countries and purchasing diesel fuel and petrol from Belarus.
Azizi raised this issue during his visit to Uzbekistan in a meeting with the Belarusian Minister of Industry.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Azizi invited Belarusian investors to take advantage of investment opportunities in Afghanistan, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector.
The statement added that both sides agreed to establish a joint working team at the deputy-minister level to follow up on the issues discussed in the meeting, especially efforts to increase the volume of trade between the two countries.
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Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund channeled $73.5 million to the needy in 2025
Operating in a context of limited resources and growing needs, the fund played a key role in ensuring life-saving aid reached vulnerable communities, including women, men and children affected by crises.
The Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) delivered critical assistance across Afghanistan in 2025, as the country faced ongoing humanitarian pressures including displacement, natural disasters and climate-related shocks, according to its latest annual report.
Operating in a context of limited resources and growing needs, the fund played a key role in ensuring life-saving aid reached vulnerable communities, including women, men and children affected by crises such as earthquakes and cross-border returns.
The AHF said its flexible funding mechanisms allowed for rapid response and anticipatory action, while also supporting longer-term humanitarian programmes aligned with the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan.
During the year, the fund allocated $73.5 million through eight targeted disbursements. The funding was directed toward both emergency situations and protracted humanitarian needs, enabling assistance to reach millions of people across the country.
Particular focus was placed on communities impacted by displacement, climate-related events and natural disasters, as humanitarian agencies sought to address the most urgent needs amid continuing economic and environmental challenges.
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Saar: Demand for the country’s exports to Iran discussed
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