UN Migration Agency Assists Vulnerable Migrants Fleeing Middle East Conflict in Iran

Kathmandu. The United Nations migration agency said on Friday that it is helping some vulnerable migrants trapped in the Middle East war to leave Iran. The agency stated that it has received requests to assist hundreds of others.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicated that migrants in Iran are at extreme risk due to heavy bombing and mass displacement.

The IOM stated its readiness to assist distressed migrants and citizens of other third countries. David John, IOM Director of Resettlement and Movement Management, told reporters in Geneva, "We have already assisted some migrants to return home from Iran."

"So far, hundreds of requests have been received, and this number is increasing daily," he said, keeping the nationality details of the assisted persons and the requests for assistance confidential.

John suggested that requests for assistance from the migrants' home countries could soon reach thousands. The war has spread across the region since the joint US-Israel attack began in Iran on February 28. This has attracted the attention of world powers and caused a major fuel crisis due to the war.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Thursday, "3.2 million people have been displaced from Iran." They included some refugee families who were 'particularly at risk, already having an uncertain status and limited support networks.'

According to the United Nations, Iran is the country hosting the largest number of migrants in the world, with a large migrant population including millions of Afghans and millions of Iraqis.

Options Needed

John stated that the main obstacle to rescue assistance by the IOM is 'resources.'

He said, "If we have the resources, we are confident in our ability to facilitate the return and rescue of migrants." He added, "These evacuation operations are expensive; for helping to get 200 people out, we are appealing for assistance for about six hundred thousand to seven hundred thousand US dollars."

Salvador Gutierrez, IOM Chief of Mission for Iran, said in a statement that the number of migrant workers among those killed in Iran has been high, as previously stated.

He said, "This emphasizes the 'need to provide safe and organized repatriation options.'" The IOM also stated that some embassies of countries heavily affected by the war in Lebanon have requested assistance to evacuate their citizens.

"A lot of help has been received in preparing for potential evacuations at this stage," Matthew Luciano, IOM Chief of Mission for Lebanon, told reporters in Geneva.

The conflict has had a major impact on Lebanon. Officials report that 687 people have died so far from Israeli attacks, and more than eight hundred thousand people have been displaced.

Luciano said, "According to IOM's estimates, at least 30,000 of the approximately 200,000 migrants living in Lebanon have been displaced from there."

According to UNHCR, more than 94,000 Syrians and 10,000 Lebanese citizens who settled in Lebanon after the war have entered Syria.