Iranian police have arrested 437 undocumented Afghan migrants in the southeastern city of Zahedan over the past week as part of a security crackdown, local officials said.
Iranian authorities refer to undocumented Afghans as “unauthorised foreign nationals”.
Hamid Nouri, the police commander of Zahedan, said the arrests were carried out under a plan aimed at “enhancing social security” in the city.
According to Iranian media, Nouri told a news conference that police had detained a total of 437 undocumented foreign nationals during operations over the past week. The same operations also led to the arrest of 135 suspected thieves, 472 drug users and 54 alleged low-level drug dealers, he said.
The arrests follow similar operations a week earlier in the cities of Yazd and Zahedan, where Iranian police detained 1,207 Afghan migrants, including 750 in Yazd and 457 in Zahedan, according to media reports.
Iran has stepped up arrests and forced deportations of Afghan migrants in recent months, particularly following its 12-day conflict with Israel. Despite reports in Iranian media that labour shortages have emerged in several cities, including Tehran, authorities have continued to tighten enforcement.
Iran deports an average of about 300 Afghan migrants per day, according to official figures, with most removals carried out forcibly.
The policy has drawn criticism from international organisations and refugee rights groups, but Iranian authorities have shown no sign of easing the crackdown.
