Iranian press review: Construction industry hit hard by Afghan workers' deportation

Middle East Eye

4 days ago

Construction stalls amid mass deportations
The mass deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants from Iran has caused serious problems for the country's construction industry, which relies heavily on low-wage Afghan labour.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that daily returns of Afghans from Iran - which launched a mass deportation campaign earlier this year - had surged from around 5,000 to 30,000 since the start of the war with Israel. It noted that most of those returning had been forcibly deported.
Iranian authorities say nearly 800,000 Afghans have been expelled since the campaign began in March. On 7 July, the UNHCR reported that nearly 450,000 Afghans had returned from Iran since the beginning of June.
Local media quoted Iraj Rahbar, head of the Tehran Real Estate Developers Association, saying that the removal of Afghan workers has lowered productivity and led to the suspension of some building projects.
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Rahbar said that about 50 percent of construction workers in Tehran were Afghan, working as general labourers, builders, cement workers and stonemasons.
He added that many employers preferred to hire Afghan workers because they accepted lower wages and were not insured, as they lacked legal immigration documents.
Official Iranian figures show that more than five million Afghan migrants live in Iran.
Some Iranian sources have accused Afghan refugees of spying for Israel.
Spike in arrests of Iranians in the US
Since Donald Trump returned to office, arrests and deportations of Iranian migrants in the United States have risen sharply. The number of arrests surged in the days following Washington's strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
Iran: Anti-Afghan sentiment is on the rise Read More »
According to a report by BBC Persian, deportations of Iranians have increased more than tenfold since the start of Trump's new term and the rollout of his immigration policies, compared with the previous six years.
From January to the end of June 2025, 92 Iran-born migrants were deported from the US.
About a quarter of all Iranians arrested in the first half of the year were detained in the four days after the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities during Israel's war on Iran.
The report also notes that while 76 Iranians were arrested in the first 20 days of June, that number jumped to 303 in just four days following the US attack. In contrast, only nine Iranians were arrested in June of last year.
Journalists face layoffs and pay cuts after war
The Tehran Province Journalists' Association (TPJA), one of Iran's most influential media unions, has reported a rise in job losses and salary cuts among journalists following Israel's 12-day war on Iran.
According to the association, more than 150 journalists from various media outlets, many of them well known, were laid off after the ceasefire, as economic pressures from the war took hold.
By allowing Israel to bomb Iran, Trump is pushing Tehran to go nuclear Read More »
Employers cited 'cost reduction', 'financial restructuring' and 'force consolidation' as reasons for the dismissals.
News outlets affected include Rahpardakht, KhabarOnline, Eqtesad News, TejaratNews, Donyaye Eqtesad, EqtesadOnline, Eco-Iran, and Shahrvand. These organisations also implemented salary cuts for many remaining staff.
The TPJA condemned the wave of layoffs, pointing out that many of the affected journalists had continued working during the war, reporting on conditions despite the dangers.
In its report, the association said: 'While many journalists took on the responsibility of providing information with courage and commitment during the days of crisis, after the war they were met with a wave of ingratitude, job insecurity, reduced professional protection, and rushed decisions to cut wages and staff.'
Environmental activists die in forest fires
Khabat Amini has become the third environmental activist to die after wildfires swept through the Abidar forests.
Amini was one of several volunteers who suffered serious burns while trying to contain the fire in the Abidar mountain area of western Iran last Thursday.
He died four days later, on Monday, at Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj.
Before him, Chiako Yousefinejad, an activist from Sanandaj, and Hamid Moradi also succumbed to burns injuries. At least three other volunteers were severely injured and remain in the hospital.
Despite the risks environmental activists face in Iran, including the threat of arrest and lengthy prison sentences, the Kurdistan Provincial Government has declared two days of public mourning in the province.
Jamal Qaderi, an activist with the Chia Environmental Association in Kurdistan, criticised the government for failing to provide the resources needed to fight such fires.
He told the Sharq daily: 'Government institutions are responsible for preventing fires in the Zagros forests, including in Kurdistan, and for putting them out by setting up and deploying air bases… We cannot tolerate another disaster like this.'
*Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.