Iranian Presidential Candidate Promises Sealing Border With Afghanistan, If Elected

Massoud Pezeshkian, a presidential candidate in Iran, says he will seal the border with Afghanistan, if elected.

This reformist candidate stated that Western countries should take responsibility for their actions in Afghanistan, which led to the migration of millions of Afghans.

He said that the people of Iran have no reason to "bear the costs of others' wrong policies”.

On Thursday, June 13, Pezeshkian outlined his plans regarding Afghan migrants in Iran in response to a question from a user on X social media platform.

He emphasised that if he wins the presidential election, he will implement three measures concerning Afghan migrants simultaneously.

He stated that his potential government would completely seal the borders, organise the migrants, and negotiate with European countries regarding the acceptance of some Afghan refugees currently in Iran.

Pezeshkian is one of six candidates in the fourteenth presidential election in Iran. He is the only candidate from the reformist faction in Iran.

This Iranian candidate wrote that to prevent the influx of migrants into Iran, he would completely seal the borders. He acknowledged that although Afghans have played a significant role in Iran's economy and made sacrifices for the Islamic Republic of Iran during the "imposed war," they need to be organised.

The Iranian Ministry of Interior has said that approximately five million Afghans live in the country.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of Parliament and another presidential candidate, also stated that if elected, he would seal the country's border with Afghanistan and expel foreign nationals.