The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week that the number of Afghan refugees returning home from Iran has doubled recently as Iranian currency loses its value against dollar unprecedentedly.

IOM statistics show that between 8,000 to 10,000 undocumented Afghan return home from Iran every day.

IOM says the main reason behind the increase of returnees from Iran is the economic crisis in Iran that has loomed following new US sanctions on Tehran.

“429,845 refugees from Iran and 23,301 refugees from Pakistan have been deported or voluntary returned,” said Kazim Elham, head of border returnees department at IOM.

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) meanwhile said the number of return refugees has increased unprecedentedly in recent weeks.

“When the currency loses its value, refugees cannot afford their daily expenses there therefore they decide to return to Afghanistan,” said Islamuddin Jurat, head of Communication and Public Relations Department of MoRR.

An Afghan refugee who has returned from Iran last month said the money a refugee gains form working in Iran is only enough for his living costs and that he cannot save the money for his family.

Shahida Durani said he was working in Tehran but was not earning enough money due to the fall of Iranian Rial against US dollar.

“Six months ago, we would work from 16,000 to 17,000 AFs in a month. But now one million Iranian Toman is equal to 7,000 AFs which is not enough,” said Durani.

Durani, 28, said two years ago he spent lots of money to reach Iran through illegal routes, but this year he had no option but to leave as he could not make savings there.

IOM statistics show that 514,405 Afghans returned home from Iran and Pakistan from January 1 to August 25 of which 492,343 of them returned home from Iran.

Statistics show that Iran still hosts 2.14 million Afghan refugees.