The 4-meter-tall wall will block 300 kilometers of the over 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan, the Commander of the Army’s Ground Force Engineering Squad, General Ahmad Akbari, said.
The wall is expected to prevent drug trafficking and boost security for the residents in the border areas and the entire country amid the influx of illegal refugees from Afghanistan.
It will seal areas known for frequent illegal activities, including drug trafficking and the movement of outlaws.
The plan, revealed earlier this year, includes building the concrete wall, along with barbed wire, fencing, and proper roads along the borders.
Iran has been one of the main hosts for millions of Afghan refugees for decades who drain the country’s resources already strained by sanctions.
The flow of Afghan refugees into Iran has expedited since the 2021 takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.
Official sources put the number of Afghan refugees in Iran at 5 million.
