Iranian Commander Stresses Full Control over Borders

Commander of Iran’s Border Guard Units General Hossein Zolfaqari said that the country’s security forces are fully monitoring border regions as border security sets a priority for the Iranian police and border guard units.
“Security along borders is a top priority for the border guard police,” Zolfaqari stated on Saturday.

“Strengthening the defensive power of the border guards will lead to higher security, and doing so is, thus, one of the most important programs of the border guard units,” the commander said.

He also said that the Iranian border guard police are in full control over illegal imports and exports of goods and illegal border crossings.

Earlier in July, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underlined the necessity for the closure of illegal border points as an effective measure to prevent and confront illegal imports and exports of goods and commodities.

Addressing a gathering on new mechanisms to prevent and counter unlawful imports and exports of goods and foreign exchanges here in Tehran, Ahmadinejad stressed the importance of closing all illegal border points to stem the smuggling of commodities and foreign exchanges.

Iran has 5,440 kilometers of land borders. The country shares its Northern borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan, which extend for more than 2,000 kilometers, including about 650 kilometers of water along the Southern shore of the Caspian Sea.

Iran’s Western borders are with Turkey and Iraq, and to the East with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman littoral states form the country’s 1,770 kilometers of Southern border.