Police Chief: Borders Sealed by 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's Police Chief Brigadier General Esmaeil Ahmadi Moqaddam says the country's borders will be fully sealed by 2015 to make any penetration of terrorists and drug traffickers almost impossible.

Date: 22 October 2014 - 20:07

News ID: ۶۵۴۴

"Sealing border lines and deployment of border (guards) units in the remaining parts will be completed this year and if the parliament approves the necessary budget, the job will be done in one year," Ahmadi Moqaddam told reporters in the Central city of Arak on Wednesday.
Noting that terrorist attacks on the country concentrate on border areas, he said, "Certainly, the sealing and the deployment of border units will minimize terrorist activities."
In 2011, Ahmadi Moqaddam had underlined Tehran's resolve to tighten control over the country's borders, and said the Iranian authorities will block the country's Eastern borders completely within the next three years.
"Eastern borders have already been closed. But there are still certain areas in Saravan (where 4 police officers were killed earlier this month by terrorists who had infiltrated from Pakistan) which should be blocked," Ahmadi Moqaddam told reporters at the time.
Iran is on crossroad of international drug transit routes linking the world drug hub, Afghanistan, to the Persian Gulf and European countries.
Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers and terrorists. The crackdown has cost Iran more than 700 million dollars over the past two years. Last year, Iran allocated millions to strengthen border security and block the entry of terrorists and drug traffickers into the country.
Strategies pursued by Tehran include digging canals, building barriers and installing barbed wire to seal its borders.