Tehran- IRAN- A rumor claiming that “Afghanistan has asked its citizens to immediately leave Iran” began on Saturday, February 7, on the Telegram channel “Farsi X,” which has more than 700,000 subscribers.
This channel published the claim as breaking news without providing any official source, document, or credible quotation.
Shortly afterward, larger channels such as “Khabar Fori,” with around five million followers, reposted the same text without any fact-checking. This chain reposts caused the rumor to spread rapidly on Telegram and then across other social media platforms.
Spread of the Rumor on Social Media
After Telegram, the claim circulated on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and numerous WhatsApp and Telegram groups.
Some users, considering the tense regional atmosphere and recent tensions between Iran and the United States, took the news seriously, which further accelerated its spread.
IRAF’s Investigation and Lack of Official Confirmation
IRAF’s fact-checking unit reviewed official statements, channels, and remarks by Taliban officials and announced that no institution or official authority of Afghanistan has made such a request.
Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor the Taliban government spokesperson, nor any official body has mentioned anything of this sort.
IRAF also emphasized that the news has no official backing whatsoever and was fabricated and circulated solely in cyberspace.
Why Is This Claim Logically and Practically Impossible?
Given Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation, such a request is not only unrealistic but also practically impossible.
In recent years, Afghanistan has faced a severe humanitarian and economic crisis and a serious shortage of resources. Within a short period, more than two million migrants have already returned from Iran and Pakistan.
The Taliban government is struggling with major challenges in housing, integrating, and providing basic necessities for this population and lacks the capacity to absorb a new wave of returning migrants.
Under these circumstances, calling for the immediate departure of millions of additional citizens from Iran has no logical, humanitarian, or practical justification.
Context of the Rumor’s
This rumor emerged at a time when the regional media environment had become tense following harsh and irresponsible threats made by Donald Trump against Iran.
Despite this media hype, negotiations resumed after those threats, demonstrating that Trump’s claims were largely rhetorical rather than reflective of realities on the ground.
In such an environment, public opinion was highly susceptible to unofficial news, allowing a completely fabricated text to spread rapidly—while in reality it was nothing more than a baseless and even humorous rumor, with no connection to existing political or humanitarian realities.
