Some migrants travel to Iran only for a short trip to visit relatives and friends, but others want to return to their homeland forever. In contrast, a group of Iranian exiles prefer not to go to this country despite all the hardships of living away from Iran and the experience of exile and homesickness; because they consider this trip both risky and a form of support for a government whose legitimacy has been questioned for years.

But do the repeated invitations by officials of the Islamic Republic for Iranians abroad to return mean that conditions for a safe and predictable return have been provided?

The answer to this question can be found in the experience of the return of Iranian migrants and exiles over the past century; an experience that ranges from hope and reconciliation to restrictions, prison, and death.

Read the rest in an article on the BBC Persian website: