Over 1,000 Afghan Companies Exit Iran Amid Currency, Investment Challenges
More than one thousand Afghan businesses have left Iran, Iranian MP Mohsen Zanganeh told local media. He said the mass departure includes Afghan entrepreneurs and their families who have mostly returned to industrial cities in Herat and Kabul over the past two years. The news was reported by Iranian outlets on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
Zanganeh attributed the exodus primarily to currency-related challenges. According to him, Afghan investors who brought capital into Iran through exchange offices and established factories faced obstacles because Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) did not recognize their investments as foreign direct investment. This lack of recognition created significant barriers to their business operations.
To address the issue, Iranian judicial experts have been tasked with evaluating the value of factories owned by Afghan investors based on the current exchange rate. The goal is for the TPO to officially recognize these holdings as foreign investments. Zanganeh added that if this plan is finalized, Afghan investors have pledged up to $3 billion in future investments in Iran’s Khorasan Razavi Province over the next three to four years.
This large-scale departure of capital and skilled Afghan labor comes as Iran grapples with a deep economic crisis and widespread unemployment. While the return of these entrepreneurs to Herat and Kabul could provide a boost to local industry and employment, such benefits depend on the Taliban administration’s ability to offer a secure and stable environment for economic activity. Failure to address investment challenges and capital flight could further deteriorate Afghanistan’s fragile economy and burden its population.
