Iran has called for greater international support in hosting millions of Afghan refugees, warning that it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage the long-term humanitarian burden without a fair sharing of responsibilities.
Speaking at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) Progress Review Meeting in Geneva this week, Nader Yarahmadi, Director of the Center for Foreign Nationals and Refugees at Iran’s Ministry of Interior, emphasised that continuing to host refugees without international assistance is no longer sustainable.
Iran has been hosting Afghan refugees for more than 45 years, one of the world’s largest and longest-standing refugee situations.
Yarahmadi highlighted that, despite oppressive sanctions and limited domestic resources, Iran has provided services beyond the obligations outlined in the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Iranian officials also pointed to the negative consequences of military interventions in regional countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq, by extra-regional powers.
“This situation has been the result of irresponsible policies and military interventions by the United States and its allies in the region,” Yarahmadi said.
Addressing concerns about the return of undocumented Afghan nationals, Yarahmadi noted that around 1 million Afghans return home annually, and that recent departures were influenced by Israel-U.S. attacks last June, which affected civilian areas.
Last October, he denied reports alleging misconduct or undue pressure on undocumented Afghans.
Currently, Iran hosts approximately 5 million refugees, the majority of whom are Afghan nationals who fled Soviet invasion and civil war in Afghanistan over the past four decades.
Iranian authorities plan to gradually reduce the number to 3 million, aligning with the 3 percent global standard for hosting refugees, as the country’s population is projected to reach 90 million next year.
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U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean waters, the Pentagon said on Tuesday (24 February), adding that it was the third such operation.
An Iranian military helicopter crashed in the city of Dorcheh, in Iran on Tuesday (24 February), causing the death of the pilot, co-pilot and two market sellers, state media reported.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said nuclear talks with United States have “yielded encouraging signals” stressing Iran’s readiness “for any potential scenario”.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday discussed transport links, infrastructure projects and broader economic cooperation with a high-level Iranian delegation led by Roads and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadegh.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Syria has secured a $50 million financing package from the World Bank to support transport infrastructure projects as the country advances its economic recovery efforts, Syrian media reported on Sunday.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is heading to Beijing on for his first official visit as chancellor, aiming to strengthen political and economic dialogue with China before tackling pressing international crises.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should block financial support to Russia rather than Ukraine, as Budapest opposes the European Union’s 20th sanctions package against Moscow.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, describing the conflict as “a stain on our collective conscience”.
Newcastle United secured a 3–2 victory over Qarabağ FK in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs at St James’ Park.
Laurence des Cars, director of the Louvre Museum, has resigned months after a $102 million daylight heist at the museum, which prompted a parliamentary inquiry.
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