INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN- The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a welcoming neighbor, has been harboring millions of Afghan refugees for decades, while being
subjected to years of sanctions.The United Nations declared June 20 as World Refugee Day to remember millions of asylum seekers, including
Afghans, who have been forced to flee their nation due to decades of foreign-instigated civil war, insecurity and occupation, including the
U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 that lasted until last year.The day honors the strength and bravery of those who have been forced
to leave violence and cruelty
The designation gives a chance to build solidarity and foster an environment in which people may comprehend the plight of migrants.They may
take an airplane, a boat, or even walk just to survive
The basic desire of all refugees is to find safety and peace.Iran has displayed excellent neighborliness and kindness, particularly when it
comes to sheltering Afghan refugees
Different conflicts and political turbulences have affected Afghans, including the Soviet Union's invasion in the 1980s, the Taliban's
takeover of power in 1996, the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and the Taliban's retake of power in 2021.Thus, over the course of
several decades, Iran has welcomed roughly three million Afghan refugees; nevertheless, it turns out that there are many more Afghan asylum
seekers in the Islamic republic who have yet to be counted.The international community and Afghan authorities have repeatedly said that the
Islamic Republic of Iran and its people have been kind in hosting refugees, despite the fact that the country has been suffering from
economic hardships caused by Western pressures and sanctions.Iran is the fourth-largest host country for asylum seekers, according to the UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR).Last year's hasty departure of American soldiers from Afghanistan resurrected instability in the nation, forcing
millions of Afghans to abandon their homeland once more.Iran opened border crossings and accepted a large number of refugees, including
professors from Afghanistan's institutions, who were housed in Ferdowsi University's residential units in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan
Province.Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, stated that all Afghan refugees' children in Iran should be
provided education services, demonstrating that Iranians are welcoming to asylum seekers from the eastern nation.Refugees from Afghanistan
are permitted to attend Iranian universities
During the coronavirus epidemic, Iran vaccinated a large number of Afghan refugees, which was commended by international organizations and
president's special representative for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, has said Iran bears the heaviest burden of refugees among regional
support of international organizations, has accommodated hundreds of thousands of new refugees in the recent crisis in Afghanistan and has
Refugee Day, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai lauded the Islamic Republic's compassion, saying that Iranians had
been hosting Afghan refugees for four decades.Stanikzai delivered the statements during a conference titled "Future of Relations Between
from Afghanistan's neighbors in attendance.During the conference, Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister applauded Iran for its hospitality
to Afghan refugees over the last four decades, adding that the country has fulfilled its Islamic responsibilities by sheltering millions of
Afghan refugees over the past four decades.Afghanistan, according to Stanikzai, "calls on neighboring nations to be patient and treat asylum
seekers with patience until the return conditions are favorable."He also urged neighboring countries to collaborate for a prosperous
