The editorial, citing official reports, said only about 10% of Afghan residents have left in recent months, and that reductions in their numbers have already led to significant savings in consumption of food, housing and services.
It added that, given sanctions, economic difficulties, drought and energy shortages, Iran cannot sustain several million foreign nationals.
Separately, the director-general of the Education Ministry for Tehran county municipalities told the paper that 53,000 Afghan students have registered in schools in Tehran so far this year under a new interior ministry guideline. The director noted that last academic year registrations reached 149,000, a figure the paper said would be far larger if tallied across all 31 provinces.
Tehran’s governor is quoted as saying that the departure of some undocumented Afghans has freed up about 300 classrooms.
The article invoked an “international norm” it described as permitting up to 3% foreign presence per country and urged the interior and foreign ministries to prevent returns of expelled migrants and to restrict visa issuance except in special cases.
The paper called for firm government action and for legal accountability over earlier mass visa grants.
