Caught between Bombs and the Taliban: Afghan Women Refugees in Iran Say “We Have Nowhere to Go”

“I am willing to die in Iran under bombing, but I will not return to Afghanistan – an Afghanistan that is mired in patriarchy, with terrible conditions for women and girls,” texted Ava, a 34-year-old Afghan refugee woman who has lived in Iran since her birth. 

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Afghan student Zahra was pushed out of her university dormitory in Tehran on February 28, the very day the war started, and forced to return to Kabul. She had moved to Tehran from Afghanistan just four months ago to escape the draconian Taliban laws that restrict women from accessing education.

“It felt strangely familiar to me—the sound of rockets and bombs, the chaos in the city. None of it felt new, because I had already tasted the bitterness of war. I felt complete hopelessness and thought that wherever I went, I would not be able to escape war,” she said. 

Many Afghan refugee women in Iran like Ava and Zahra (using pseudonyms for their security) are left with no option but to choose between returning to a repressive and patriarchal Taliban regime or instead risking their lives in Iran amidst the war. For the almost 4 million Afghans migrants and refugees like them living in Iran, there are really no good options. 

As the world observes Women’s History Month, the escalation of conflict in Iran is a stark reminder that war does not affect everyone equally. Armed conflict almost always produces displacement, and women and girls bear a disproportionate share of its consequences. 

 Afghans living in Iran face long-standing discrimination and the constant threat of detention or deportation. But for most, Iran has become their only pathway to any semblance of safety. 

For Afghan women and girls, the stakes are especially high. Many fled Afghanistan precisely because Taliban authorities targeted them for education, employment, activism, or simply for asserting basic rights. Returning could expose them to persecution, violence, or severe repression. 

Staying in Iran as the war intensifies without access to any support or aid could mean increased vulnerability. Based on the interviews we conducted with Afghan women refugees, we were told no humanitarian aid has reached them as yet and that they are surviving on limited rations, while prices for basic essentials are extremely high as a result of the war. 

“Whenever we call the UNHCR office, no one answers,” stated one Afghan woman.

No doubt that the conflict will drive greater cross-border movement among vulnerable populations, while heightening the risks of trafficking and sexual violence against women.

“My family has lived in Iran for decades despite facing massive challenges,” explained Ava. “They have built their lives there. Going back to Afghanistan is not an option, and other countries like Turkey don’t give Afghans a visa.”

Some Afghans have already sought to enter Türkiye through irregular migration routes, often paying smugglers exorbitant fees. 

“I tried to go through the smuggling route, but I turned back halfway because they said it was dangerous,” wrote Ava from near Tehran. You might fall into the trap of smugglers on the way and you might even get raped.” 

The international community must recognize that conflicts like the current crisis in Iran do not occur in isolation, rather, they reverberate through already vulnerable populations. 

Governments and humanitarian actors must uphold the fundamental principle that those fleeing persecution deserve safety and dignity. They must prioritize the protection of displaced women and girls, and ensure that Afghan refugees are not forcibly returned to danger; and work together to provide safety within Iran and open safe pathways to move to other host countries like Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkmenistan.

For millions of Afghan women, the choice should not be between bombs and the Taliban.