UN migration agency says no mass outflow from Iran despite regional tensions

GENEVA

There has been no mass outflow from Iran despite rising tensions in the Middle East, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday.

Cross-border mobility around Iran has remained "broadly stable, with no observed surge in movements or atypical outflows from the country," Zoe Brennan, a policy and strategic communications advisor at IOM, told reporters in Geneva.

According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, between March 1 and 23, there were 97,527 movements from Iran to Afghanistan and 7,542 to Pakistan, alongside 32,576 movements from Afghanistan into Iran.

The agency said the data reflects "fluid and complex mobility dynamics" in the region.

Neighboring countries have also recorded arrivals of third-country nationals leaving Iran. More than 500 people crossed into Turkmenistan, Brennan said, while 549 individuals from countries including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Germany and India entered Armenia.

In Azerbaijan, crossings from Iran included 486 Azerbaijanis, 722 Chinese, 323 Russians and 198 Bangladeshis.

Requests from governments seeking evacuation support are also rising, Brennan said, noting the agency assisted Bangladesh in evacuating 186 nationals on March 20.

She added that IOM continues to monitor the situation and stands ready to support affected populations.

Regional escalation has continued since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, which has so far killed more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.