TEHRAN – Ahmad-Ali Goudarzi, Commander of the Border Police, has announced that a new project for closing southeastern borders is scheduled to begin in the second half of the current Iranian year that ends in March 2025.

“Weekly meetings are being held, and needed funds are allocated to border police and other relevant officials. Initial steps such as signing contracts have been taken, and preparations are being made for the construction of watchtowers and stations, as well as purchasing sensors, cameras, and advanced weapons,” ISNA quoted Goudarzi as saying.

The border closure project started last year (ended on March 19), and three billion Euros has been allocated to implement it in five years.

Iran shares a 945-kilometer border with Afghanistan. The closure of the eastern borders is seen as a critical step in preventing illegal activities, enhancing national security, and ensuring the safety of Iranian citizens. 

In July, the commander of the Army’s Ground Forces engineering group announced the plan to close Iran's northeastern borders using four engineering groups from the army and the Khatam al-Anbiya construction headquarters.

Brigadier General Ahmad Akbari stated in a meeting with the governor of Taybad, “Technical operations for the closure are being carried out along the 300-kilometer border shared between Khorasan Razavi province and Afghanistan.” 

He noted that during the implementation of this plan, various stages have made significant progress in both the southern and northern parts of the Dogharoun border. The necessary infrastructure for continuing this project in this part has been established using domestic capabilities and resources. 

Referring to the technical specifications of the border wall closure project, Akbari added, “This border wall is 4 meters high and 3.7 long, with a thickness of one meter.”

Mahdi Shirdel, the governor of Taybad, emphasized, “Border security in the eastern part of the country will be enhanced with the construction of this border wall.” 

Earlier, Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei, the deputy head of Iran’s Police Force, had also stated that the plan to close the eastern borders is on the agenda of security forces to combat the infiltration of drug traffickers and armed terrorist groups into Iran.

In June, the Commander of the Northeast Regional Headquarters of the Army’s Ground Forces of Iran, Amir-Reza Azarian,  revealed that an extensive border closure project is underway in Khorasan Razavi province, located near the northeastern border.

"The closure of the eastern borders is being conducted with great intensity. Engineering groups from the Army, along with four of the nation’s top-ranked contractor companies, are currently constructing a four-meter-high wall along these borders," he stated.

The proposed project is planned to be completed in Khorasan Razavi province within a three-year period with a budget of 1.8 trillion rials (about three million dollars).

The initiative to secure borders started in the Iranian calendar year 1379 (March 1990 - March 1991), with the aim of intensifying the security of borders in eastern regions of the country. It has been implemented in parts of the Iran-Afghanistan border in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

It was initially planned to be completed in the Iranian year 1399 (March 2020 – March 2021), but it was postponed due to inadequate funds. Now it is expected to be finished within the next two years.

The project is designed not only to physically fortify the border but also to incorporate cutting-edge technology to monitor and manage border security effectively.

This dual approach aims to create a robust defense system that can respond to various threats and challenges.

MT/MG