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Iran Closes down Borders with Afghanistan
Iran has closed down its 725- kilometer borders with eastern neighbor Afghanistan as part of the measures to combat threats to its security.
The move was taken on Tuesday during a visit by Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari to the eastern parts of the country in northeastern province of Khorasan following a sharp rise in criminal cases of robbery, kidnaps, murders and drug trafficking in the border regions.
"With the eastern borders fully controlled, the residents will enjoy full tranquility and security," Lari told the Islamic Republic News Agency during his inspection tour.
The minister said that 100 kilometers of Iran's eastern borders will be made impenetrable by barbed wire fencing and 200 kilometers of security areas will be equipped with electronic devices.
He said that radar, ground fortifications and watchtowers have also been installed in the area after the Majlis (parliament) earmarked 200 billion rials (about 66.7 million U.S. dollars) in credits to strengthen security in the border areas.
Iran is the main transit route for drugs from the "Golden Crescent" in Afghanistan to destinations in the Persian Gulf and European countries.
Iran launched serious crackdowns on drug smuggling in 1989. Last year, 740 drug traffickers and 174 Iranian police officers were killed in narcotics-related confrontations, according to government reports.
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