TEHRAN — Iran’s deputy interior minister for security and law enforcement said that despite the Taliban’s ban on poppy cultivation, large drug reserves remain in Afghanistan and continue to be smuggled into Iran.
Speaking to the Iranian ISNA news agency, Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian said the flow of narcotics across Iran’s eastern border has affected both border security and the country’s overall stability.
Pourjamshidian was part of an Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi, which visited Afghanistan on Sunday.
Beyond drug trafficking, Pourjamshidian pointed to counterterrorism as a major security issue between Iran and Afghanistan.
“We face serious terrorism-related challenges along our eastern borders, both with Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said. “Addressing these challenges requires close intelligence and security cooperation between both sides. Through intelligence-sharing, our security agencies must develop precise oversight of terrorist groups and take measures to control them.”
Iran hosts an estimated 4.5 million documented Afghan migrants and approximately 2 million undocumented ones, Pourjamshidian said, adding that many undocumented Afghans are returning to their home country.
“The most critical issue at present is the presence of undocumented Afghan migrants in Iran and their illegal movements within the country,” he said when asked about key security and law enforcement concerns between the two nations.
He also cited border security and closures as areas of contention with the Taliban.
“Iran is currently working on border fortifications, and this has led to some border disputes with the Afghan side,” he said, adding that experts from both countries must resolve border demarcation disputes through technical assessments.
Pourjamshidian also raised concerns about the exchange of prisoners, saying Iran worries that Afghan detainees returned to their home country may not face prosecution.
