Libya's eastern-based government has banned the entry of Iranian and Afghan nationals through all land, sea and air ports, the government said late on Wednesday, October 28, Reuters reported.

Source: Reuters, Oct 28, 2026 — Libya's eastern administration bars entry to Iranians, Afghans

“The nationals of both Iran and Afghanistan are prohibited from entering Libyan territory through all land, air, and sea ports of entry,” the government said in a statement posted on its verified Facebook page. The government did not give a reason for the decision, Reuters reported.

The eastern administration said its Ministry of Interior would be responsible for implementing the decision and for deporting Iranian and Afghan nationals who do not hold valid residence permits.

The move extends entry restrictions the eastern administration imposed in June on nationals of four African countries — Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia — citing a “reorganization of foreign nationals' entry to Libya”, Reuters reported.

Members of accredited diplomatic and consular missions and their families are exempted, the statement said. The same applies to those working in medical and educational professions, provided they have obtained work authorizations.

Libya has been split between rival governments in the east and west since 2014. The Benghazi-based government of Osama Hamad is allied to military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and large areas of southern Libya. The internationally recognized government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah, which came to power through a UN-backed process in 2021, is based in Tripoli.

Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising. Libya is home to more than 900,000 migrants — yaani more than 9 lakh migrants — according to UN data collected in June, Reuters reported.