Iran Deputy FM: Refugee crisis persists due to major powers' policies

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on Saturday that the refugee crisis will remain a reality unless major powers change their approach. He made the remarks in a post on his X account on the occasion of World Refugee Day, marked on June 20, and the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Gharibabadi questioned why, despite decades of commitments and promises, the number of displaced people across the world continues to rise each year. He stated that as long as major powers do not abandon war, intervention, and discriminatory policies, seeking refuge will remain not an exception but the fate of millions of people.

New figures released by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, show a slight decline in the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide — but the numbers are still at historic highs. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that the numbers tell a story of forced returns as well as forced displacement, as millions returned to countries wracked by conflict and crisis as the protections they rely on — asylum, resettlement, and aid — were stripped away.

The figures show that 118 million people remain forcibly displaced – a number that has doubled over the past decade, a historic high even with the slight decline this year largely driven by record but fragile returns. The IRC said these figures are the human face of the New World Disorder – the growing gap between escalating humanitarian crises and a shrinking international response.

According to Mehr News Agency, Gharibabadi's comments highlight Iran's longstanding position on the refugee crisis, particularly regarding Afghan refugees, as Iran has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades.