TEHRAN— Armed rebels from neighboring countries are entering Iran under the pretext of migration, raising security concerns, an Iranian official said.
Fattah Mohammadi, deputy for security and political affairs in Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, told IRIB news agency on Saturday that migrants are being monitored and deported rapidly, but did not specify which countries were involved.
Iranian media have previously expressed concerns about Taliban fighters entering Iran.
Mohammadi said that around 5,000 Afghan migrants have been deported from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province over the past two years, and that 11,250 others remain in the province, with deportations ongoing.
“At one point, a massive influx of Afghan migrants entered the country. Identifying, monitoring, and registering them has imposed significant costs in the current economic situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mojtaba Abdollahi, governor of Alborz Province, stated that 100,000 Afghan migrants have been deported from the province, making it the top-ranking region in Iran for expelling undocumented migrants.
Mohammadi also raised concerns about Afghan nationals marrying Iranian women to obtain residency, claiming that some use fake identities due to a lack of legal marriage documentation.
“This issue needs to be addressed through awareness and cultural initiatives,” he said.
For the past two years, Iran and Pakistan have been deporting Afghan migrants lacking legal documents, forcing millions to return to Afghanistan.
