Islamic Republic Bans Afghans From Staying Near Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

Ehsan Jahanian, the political, security, and social deputy of the governor of Bushehr in Iran announced that the employment and residence of Afghans in the 5-kilometre radius of the nuclear power plant is prohibited.

Jahanian said that Afghans are not allowed to live and work in the cities of Genaveh, Deylam and Assaluyeh in Bushehr.

ILNA news agency reported on Wednesday, January 8, that Ehsan Jahanian said that all Afghans should leave the cities of Genaveh, Deylam and Assaluyeh as soon as possible.

Ehsan Jahanian has threatened that if Afghans are not deported from these areas, their residency documents will be revoked and they will be expelled from Iran.

Stating that the plan for the detention and expulsion of unauthorised foreign nationals in Bushehr is continuous, he stated, "Nationals who do not have identity documents will be identified, detained, and transferred to a border camp for deportation from the country."

At the same time, he emphasised that proper planning should be done by the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs of Bushehr Governorate in order to attract investment through the UNHCR and other supporting organisations for the construction of housing units for such migrants.

The political, security, and social deputy of the governor of Bushehr has said that international organisations have provided little support for refugees to the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past years.

He called for increased financial support from international organisations, saying, "We hope that more support will be provided in 2025."

The director general of the country's divisions of the Iranian Interior Ministry said in December this year, more than 1.5 million Afghans have been arrested and deported to Afghanistan without documents in one year. To prevent the re-entry of Afghans, fingerprinting has been started, Abbas Alipour said.