Because of the Iran war, the head of the UN Organization for Migration (IOM) is warning Europe of a migration crisis that could develop within days.
Mar 5, 2026, 6:02 amMar 5, 2026, 6:02 am
“Look at the example of Ukraine, where millions of people crossed the border within a few days,” said IOM boss Amy Pope in an interview with the German Press Agency in Brussels.
Amy Pope warns of a new migration crisis.Image: www.imago-images.de
When there are conflicts not far from Europe, it is crucial to closely monitor people’s migration movements. «We see people who are displaced within the country. “We are monitoring whether and when this expulsion will spread to other countries,” said the American.
“What we have observed in the past with attacks in Iran is that they first leave the big cities and go to family members.”
The decisive factor is whether the conflict continues, whether it expands and whether civilian infrastructure is also affected. “These are some of the triggers that we expect will lead to more migration movements,” she said.
Pope: Develop emergency plans
The IOM boss advises preparing for different scenarios. “It is incredibly important to start developing emergency plans,” emphasized Pope. First, it must be planned what support neighboring countries such as Turkey would need when taking in the first refugees.
The German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on ZDF’s “Morgenmagazin” on Wednesday that they are currently not seeing any additional refugee movements from Iran towards Germany. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner also announced on Monday that the EU Commission was not observing any major movements at Iran’s external borders.
After a meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Brunner also stated that the borders in Turkey are closed. About the exchange with Fidan he said:
“He assured that he had closed the borders towards Iran. And on the other hand, he also stands by the fact that we have good cooperation between the European Union and Turkey.”
Both sides are interested in maintaining this cooperation and even intensifying it, said the EU Commissioner.
(sda/dpa/con)