According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 3 million Afghan nationals are expected to return to their country this year, as both Iran and Pakistan implement new policies aimed at repatriating displaced Afghans. Tehran has already issued a deadline of July 6 for the departure of some 4 million undocumented Afghans, with over half a million reportedly expelled since the brief war with Israel. While the human cost of such a large-scale and abrupt movement cannot be ignored, neither should it be the sole determinant of the region’s future.

International law is clear: refugees are entitled to return to........

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