Local social media networks in Sistan and Baluchestan have reported that a grassroots, round-the-clock humanitarian aid station for Afghan refugees and migrants near the Al-Ghadir camp in Zahedan continues its relief efforts. This station, operating 24/7, is responsible for collecting, packaging, and distributing essential items such as hot meals, bread, drinking water, dates, powdered milk, baby diapers, cheese, tomatoes, and other basic necessities. Some of these supplies are distributed among families near the buses prepared to deport the migrants, while the rest is sent inside the Al-Ghadir camp.
These spontaneous public aid efforts began when local people became aware of the inhumane and dire conditions at Al-Ghadir camp in Zahedan, where thousands of Afghan migrants were being held without sanitary facilities, under unbearable heat, and without food or water.
The grassroots humanitarian support for Afghan refugees and migrants continues, even as, according to local reports from yesterday, a team from the Iranian Red Crescent made a performative appearance at the aid station near Al-Ghadir camp without offering any supplies or services. They merely took photos of the site.
The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, as part of the working class of Iran and the world, considers migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees to be an inseparable part of the human and labor community in every country. They have written that it is essential for all labor and civil organizations to adhere to this clear and shared international stance and not to be influenced under any circumstances by the toxic atmosphere of xenophobia and racism.
“Attacks on migrants weaken social and class solidarity and serve the interests of ruling powers and capitalist systems. Racism and scapegoating of migrants are to be condemned, as they severely harm the international solidarity that workers in Iran, the region, and the world desperately need. Afghan migrants in Iran, despite decades of presence and economic and social contributions to the country, still remain among the most deprived and vulnerable groups. Humanitarian, social, and legal support, as well as efforts to legalize their status, are necessary steps toward social justice and solidarity that must be based on shared interests and human dignity, not on differences in nationality, race, or residency status.”
In contrast to this profound humanitarian understanding shown by workers and humanitarians, society is faced with a group of racist, hired pens; exploiters of Afghan workers; government oppressors; and unjust landlords of certain rental properties.
On April 23, 2025, the Minister of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that 1.2 million Afghans were deported from Iran in March 2024 – March 2025. These individuals, who have played a vital role in the production of goods, services, and development with the lowest wages, are not just a “number.” These are human beings people who, during deportation, were treated by Iranian regime forces especially children in ways that would horrify any person with a conscience.
Alongside government officials, we are also facing an organized network of propaganda that spreads lies about Afghan men and women. The information from this widespread network feeds into state-controlled media. Agents trained by this regime loot captured Afghans, and even undocumented Iranian Baluch children, before deporting them. There are reports that some employers have withheld unpaid wages and some landlords have refused to return deposits and pre-paid rent from detained Afghan migrants.
Following the Islamic Republic’s defeat at the hands of the U.S. and Israel in the 12-day war, the regime has begun taking revenge on its own activists and opponents. Security forces of this anti-people government, using this context, have framed several Afghans by accusing them of espionage without any evidence this while U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies like the CIA and Mossad had access to information held only by top-level regime officials.
Afghan men and women workers are among the cheapest labor forces in Iran. They have always been subjected to persecution, deprivation, and humiliation to force them into accepting inferior status. Denial of insurance rights and various social services, bans on settling in many provinces, being displayed in cages, and violent deportations upon arrest are just a few of the injustices inflicted upon them.
Given the difficult circumstances Afghan migrants are currently facing in Iran, opposing the racist policies of the Islamic Republic and supporting humanitarian actions such as those seen at Al-Ghadir camp in Zahedan is a moral duty and should serve as a model. Afghan migrants must clearly understand that there is a deep divide between the behavior of the Iranian people and that of the regime ruling Iran. They should return to Afghanistan with a sense of shared fate with Iranian workers, the oppressed, and the suffering people of Iran.
