TEHRAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi exchanged views on Tuesday on the situation of Afghan refugees in Iran and their repatriation to Afghanistan.
In a meeting in Tehran, the two sides discussed the latest state of interactions between Iran and the UN Refugee Agency, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Araghchi pointed to Iran's hosting of Afghan refugees and displaced people over the past five decades, voicing the Iranian government's determination to implement a plan on the refugees' voluntary return and the illegal nationals' repatriation to their home country.
He called for the cooperation of the Afghan side as well as the UN to accelerate the process of repatriating illegal nationals and the creation of job and life opportunities for them in Afghanistan.
Grandi, for his part, pointed to Iran's long history of "good" cooperation with the UN agency in different areas, appreciating the country's hosting and provision of services to Afghan refugees over the past years.
He briefed the Iranian foreign minister on his recent visit to Afghanistan and talks with the Afghan officials on the refugees' situation in Iran and their repatriation process, expressing hope that in the light of the cooperation and coordination between the two neighbors, the project of the Afghan refugees' voluntary return would be implemented while ensuring their rights and dignity.
On July 16, Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said nearly 800,000 Afghan refugees had left Iran since March 21, 2025, of whom close to 70 percent -- equal to 560,000 individuals -- had returned to their home country voluntarily, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. ■
