Afghans return home in record numbers as Iran currency plunges Migrant workers squeezed into battered taxis pull into the Four Seasons of Freedom hotel in western Afghanistan, part of a wave of Afghans forced to leave Iran after a currency implosion wiped out their earnings. A record 442,344 Afghans have voluntarily returned or been deported from Iran this year as looming US sanctions -- which began to be reimposed this week -- fuelled a run on the rial and spurred inflation.