Iran has built a wall more than 10 kilometers long on the border with Afghanistan, a key passage for Afghan migrants into the country, an army officer said today, according to local media.

“Over 10 km of wall has been constructed on the border (with Afghanistan) and another 50 km is planned,” Army’s deputy commander of ground forces, General Nozar Nemati, said today.

On September 9, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had announced the “complete” closure of the border, adding that the country was “no longer able to accept such a number of Afghan migrants.”

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the flow of Afghan migrants to Iran has increased.

Iran shares a border of more than 900 km with Afghanistan.

“By closing the border, we want to control the entrances and exits” of the country and “strengthen security in the border areas,” General Nemati added today.

Authorities have increased pressure on illegal migrants and refugees these past few months and regularly announce deportations.

On September 13, Parliamentary National Security Committee spokesman Ebrahim Rezai announced that police plan to “deport more than two million” migrants in the near future.