Terms & Concepts

The Expulsion of Iranians

Written by: Masoumeh Abedini Translated by: Hadi Qorbanyar
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Expulsion refers to the forced removal of foreign nationals from one country to another on the grounds of legal violations or considerations of public interest. Under international law, however, states are not necessarily required to provide formal justification for expulsion.

In international legal usage, expulsion is employed in two distinct senses. First, deportation applies to foreigners who have entered a country in violation of immigration laws. Second, expulsion refers more broadly to all foreign nationals, particularly those who are legally living in a country. States retain sovereign discretion in admitting or denying the entry of foreign nationals and have the right to expel any non-citizen. In times of war, governments may detain or expel nationals of enemy states within their territory. According to Article 2 of the relevant provision, any decision to expel should follow legal procedures, and the individuals concerned must be allowed to present evidence in their defense, appeal the decision, and seek recourse to competent authorities.

The establishment of the Safavid state in Iran in 1502 and the declaration of Shia Islam as the official religion gradually transformed Sunni–Shia tensions into an ethnic divide between Arabs and Iranians. Throughout the Ottoman period and later in Iraq, fears surrounding Iranian and Shia influence in Iraq and the holy cities led to the persistent mistreatment of Iranians and Shia Muslims, including harassment, humiliation, coercion, extortion, and the imposition of various restrictions.

Following the collapse and partition of the Ottoman Empire at the San Remo Conference on April 25, 1930, the victorious powers of World War I—Britain and France—established the state of Iraq by merging three populations: Kurds, Iranians, and Arabs living in Basra, Baghdad, and Mosul. Based on the San Remo Conference’s decisions, Syria and Lebanon were placed under French mandate, while Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq came under British control. In response, Iranian Shia scholars called on the population to rise against British rule and demand full independence. As the uprising intensified, British authorities sought to purge the Iraqi holy cities of Iranian influence. Consequently, in 1922, King Faisal of Iraq ordered the expulsion of more than forty Iranian Shia scholars.

The first large-scale collective expulsion of Iranians from Iraq occurred during the Baath Party rule and following Iran’s annulment of the 1937 treaty in April 1969. The Iraqi government branded Iranian residents as a “fifth column”. Within a short time, more than 20000 displaced Iranians were stranded at the Khosravi and Qasr-e Shirin border crossings.

Shortly after the expulsions began, the Baathist regime asked Imam Khomeini (ra) to support Iraq against Iran, a request he firmly rejected. In response, Iraqi authorities informed him that he must leave the country within two days. Imam Khomeini (ra) replied that he would leave as soon as an exit permit was issued. Ultimately, mediation by Ayatollah Seyyed Mohsen Hakim resolved the crisis, and the expulsion of Iranians was stopped.

The next wave of expulsions dates back to the early 1970s. In 1971, following Britain’s announcement of its military withdrawal from the Persian Gulf and east of Suez, and in line with the third pillar of the Nixon Doctrine, Shah assumed the role of the Persian Gulf’s regional gendarme. Opposing this new regional order, the Iraqi government expelled 41,000 people within just 24 hours. These expulsions continued until early January 1972, resulting in a total of 60,000 individuals being expelled.

Fereydoun Hoveyda, Iran’s representative to the United Nations at the time, wrote to the UN Secretary-General requesting that the situation of the displaced Iranians be placed on the agenda of the Human Rights Commission.

In a speech delivered at Sheikh Ansari Mosque in Najaf on December 25, 1971, Imam Khomeini (ra) condemned the Baathist regime and announced his decision to leave Iraq in protest against the mistreatment of Iranians. In an effort to dissuade him, the Iraqi government sent a high-ranking delegation to apologize for its conduct and to assure that the expulsion policy had been fully terminated, urging him to reconsider his decision. As a result, the second wave of expulsions under the Baathist rule was also stopped.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Iraq began expelling the first group of Iranian residents on December 1, 1979, forcibly removing 47 individuals through the Khosravi border. The main wave of expulsions, however, coincided with the escalation of tensions between the two countries and the arrest of Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad-Baqer al-Sadr in April 1980. Security forces were reportedly ordered that “any deportee attempting to return to Iraq should be shot”.

By April 6, 1980, the number of expelled individuals had reached 13,000, rising to 17,000 by April 14. On April 9 alone, 6,700 people were expelled, of whom 3,000 entered Iran via the Mehran and Dehloran borders, while 3,700 crossed through Khosravi, Soumar, Hedayat, Qasr-e Shirin, and Bashmaq in Iranian Kurdistan. With the expulsion of an additional 1,901 individuals on April 15, the total number of deportees reached 18,631.

In a letter to the UN Secretary-General registered on October 1, 1980, Iran’s then president, Abolhassan Banisadr reported that 40000 Shia and Iranian-origin residents of Iraq had been expelled, noting that no precise information on the true number of deportees was available.

The Legal Office of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the harassment, expulsion, and confiscation of movable and immovable property belonging to approximately 50000 Shia Iraqi nationals.

These deportees from Iraq—known in Iran as Iraqi returnees—went on to establish the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq in Tehran in 1979 as part of an organized political struggle against the Baathist regime. Shortly afterwards, the Badr Brigade was formed as the Council’s armed wing, to engage in armed resistance against the Baathist regime. Both organizations later played a significant role in shaping Iraq’s political developments.^[1]

 

^[1] Daerat al-Maaref-e Defa Muqaddas (A Summery of the Encyclopedia of the Sacred Defense), Vol. 1, Tehran: Markaz-e Daerat al-Maaref-e Pazhuheshgah-e Olum va Maaref-e Defa Muqaddas, 1390, Pp. 388-396.