The number of Afghan nationals attempting to enter Iran illegally dropped by 50 percent over the past year, according to an Iranian judicial official in the border province of Razavi Khorasan.
Hojjat Sedighi, the prosecutor of Taybad County, told the state-run IRNA news agency that from March 2024 to March 2025, Iranian border forces intercepted 33,582 Afghan citizens attempting to cross into Iran unlawfully via the Taybad border.
Sedighi attributed the decline to a combination of strengthened border security, judicial enforcement, infrastructure improvements, and coordinated efforts between national and provincial agencies.
“These measures—including the construction of border fortifications—have significantly reduced illegal entries,” he said. “Migrants intercepted by our forces are processed through legal channels and returned to Afghanistan via the official Dogharoon border crossing.”
He noted that Afghan migrants identified in 11 other Iranian cities are also deported through the same crossing point after completing judicial procedures.
Sedighi called Dogharoon one of the most important official entry points between Iran and Afghanistan and warned that any future attempts at “border trespassing” would be dealt with decisively.
His comments came amid broader reporting that Iran has deported more than 1.2 million Afghan nationals over the past year, part of an intensifying campaign by Tehran to crack down on undocumented migration from its eastern neighbor.
