This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies Find out more here
With its ferris wheel, coffee shops and promenades, Tehran’s Chitgar Lake has been a popular spot for Iranians since it was opened to the public in 2013. But it has also become a hangout for young Afghan men, and a focus for growing public resentment of the mass immigration since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021. Many Iranians – ordinary citizens and politicians – have intensified their rhetoric toward Afghans, with growing calls for crackdowns and mass deportations.