TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Afghan refugees will return to their country in a process that will be gradual and with dignity.

He said that officials of the two countries are working on a plan to return Afghans residing in Iran, IRNA reported.

“We are negotiating with the Afghan government so that this process can be done in a principled and organized way.

We do not want the return of [Afghan] nationals to become a social crisis for the two countries. The important principle for us is to do the work based on a logical and reasonable procedure,” he explained.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is host to one of the largest and most protracted refugee populations in the world, the majority of whom are Afghan refugees.

The country is home to over 800,000 registered refugees and some 2.6 million undocumented Afghans. Today, more than 500,000 Afghan children- including undocumented Afghans - are benefitting from Iran’s inclusive education policies, one of the most progressive in the world.

In case the international community refrains from taking responsibility and fairly sharing the burden of hosting refugees, the Islamic Republic of Iran will probably revise its immigration policies, Nader Yar-Ahmadi, an official with the National Organization for Migration, has said.