Nearly 60,000 Afghan students are enrolled at Iranian universities and scientific institutions, an Iranian official said, calling for increased international assistance to countries hosting refugees.

Nader Yar-Ahmadi, head of Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs, gave the figures during the 77th annual session of the UN refugee agency’s Executive Committee in Geneva.

He said 59,658 Afghan students were studying at Iranian institutions, while many others had graduated. Yar-Ahmadi added that Iran continued providing education and healthcare to refugees despite international sanctions and economic pressures.

Iran Calls for More Funding

Yar-Ahmadi said international support for refugee-hosting countries remained inadequate and urged the global community to share responsibility more fairly.

He said annual funding requirements for UNHCR operations in Iran had been estimated at around $140 million in recent years, but less than 10% of the required amount was funded in 2025.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih thanked Iran for hosting refugees over several decades.

Iran has hosted millions of Afghan refugees and migrants, with access to education, healthcare and other essential services remaining key concerns for Afghan communities.

The remarks renew calls for greater international burden-sharing as countries hosting displaced populations face mounting economic and social pressures.

Uzbekistan is strengthening its position in Afghanistan’s wheat flour market, intensifying competition for traditional suppliers Kazakhstan and Russia, according to a representative of Kazakhstan’s grain processing industry.

Yevgeny Gan, chairman of the board of founders of Kazakhstan’s Union of Grain Processors, said Uzbekistan exported approximately 1.6 million tonnes of flour worth $441.7 million in 2025. Afghanistan accounted for 99.9% of these shipments, highlighting the country’s importance as a destination for Uzbek flour.

Kazakhstan has been among the biggest losers from the shift. Gan said Kazakh flour exports to Afghanistan fell by around 200,000 tonnes in 2025 compared with the previous year, as Uzbek producers strengthened their competitive position.

Lower transportation costs and the absence of transit tariffs along relevant trade routes have helped Uzbek flour producers offer more competitive prices in the Afghan market, Gan said.

The changing trade pattern has created an unusual dynamic in the regional grain industry. Uzbekistan relies heavily on wheat supplied by Kazakhstan, processes the grain in its own mills and then exports the finished flour to Afghanistan.

This means Kazakhstan continues to supply a key raw material to its neighbour while its own flour processors face growing competition from Uzbek producers in one of their important export markets.

Russian flour exporters are also facing increasing challenges in maintaining their position in Afghanistan as competition across regional markets intensifies.

According to the report, Russian suppliers are looking towards alternative destinations, including China, to offset mounting competitive pressure.

The developments highlight how transport costs, domestic processing capacity and access to efficient trade routes are reshaping agricultural trade across Central Asia. Countries able to process grain and deliver flour at competitive prices are gaining an advantage in regional markets.

For Afghanistan, the figures underline the country’s strong reliance on regional suppliers for wheat flour and the growing role of Uzbekistan in meeting that demand.

However, the reported export figures do not establish whether the shift in suppliers has affected flour prices in Afghanistan or reduced costs for consumers.

Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia have discussed expanding cooperation in renewable energy, with a focus on developing solar and wind power projects, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Water and Energy said.

The ministry said Water and Energy Minister Mohammad Younus Akhundzada, accompanied by a delegation, met Saudi Deputy Minister of Energy Mohammad Ibrahim during an official visit to the Kingdom.

The discussions covered potential energy projects, technical expertise sharing and joint initiatives to develop renewable energy resources.

Akhundzada invited the Saudi deputy minister and technical officials to visit Afghanistan to assess opportunities for cooperation. Ibrahim welcomed the invitation and said a technical team would visit Afghanistan in the near future, according to the ministry.

The planned visit is expected to focus on identifying investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s energy sector and exploring practical ways to implement joint projects.

The discussions come as Afghanistan seeks to expand its domestic electricity generation capacity, attract foreign investment and develop renewable energy resources to meet growing demand for power.