Claims by a Member of Parliament Regarding the Number of Foreign Applicants to Join ISIS via Iranian Territory

A member of the Social Commission of Parliament claims that last year, 43,000 foreign nationals intended to cross 'illegally' from Iran's borders to join the 'ISIS' group. Rasoul Khazari, the representative of Sardasht and Piranshahr, made this statement on Tuesday, April 22, in an interview with the 'House of the Nation' website. Mr. Khazari spoke about these individuals crossing Iran's borders but did not mention details or the entry points into Iranian territory. This parliament member only noted that in 2016, 43,000 individuals intending to join 'terrorist' groups were identified in West Azerbaijan province. He stated that this number was about '70,000' in 2015. He added, 'The illegal entry of foreign nationals poses many security, economic, and political risks for the country' and 'there is a serious need to increase border surveillance.' Mr. Khazari further stated, 'The entry of these individuals into the country and their joining terrorist groups could jeopardize regional security.' This member of the Social Commission of Parliament has called on the Ministry of Interior to have 'a precise and clear policy for organizing foreign nationals and preventing their illegal movement.' The statistics provided by this parliament member regarding the 43,000 foreign nationals intending to join 'terrorist' groups in 2016 have not yet been confirmed by official sources. In Bahman 2016, Hossein Ashtari, the commander of Iran's police force, reported the identification and arrest of '10 members of the ISIS group' at Iran's eastern and western borders over several months. In Azar of the same year, Kamal Hadianfar, the head of Iran's Cyber Police, reported the arrest of 53 individuals who, according to him, were 'supporters of ISIS ideology,' most of whom were present in Iran's border provinces. On November 26, 2015, Bahman Reyhani, the commander of the 'Nabi Akram' Corps in Kermanshah province, stated that 'many teams' from the 'Islamic State' group had been active in this province for two years and had been identified and arrested. The common border between Iran and Pakistan and Afghanistan is named as one of the main routes for the entry of Taliban and ISIS members. Hundreds of Afghan and Pakistani migrants illegally cross these routes annually to enter Iran or pass through the country to European countries. Rasoul Khazari, criticizing the situation at Iran's eastern borders, stated that 'the Ministry of Interior must prevent the illegal movement of foreign nationals into the country by tightening border security.' His statements come at a time when the Islamic Republic of Iran itself, as one of the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad, sends a number of Afghan and Pakistani residents of Iran to fight in Syria in the form of the 'Fatimiyoun Brigade' and 'Zainabiyoun Brigade,' in addition to the IRGC and Basij forces. A significant number of these individuals, according to unofficial reports, are willing to participate in the Syrian civil war in exchange for cash and residency permits in Iran, and many have been killed in this country, with funeral ceremonies held for their bodies in various cities in Iran. Mohammad Ali Shahidi, the head of the Martyrs Foundation, announced in late Esfand last year that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic ordered Iranian citizenship to be granted to foreign 'defenders of the shrine.' Mohammad Ali Shahidi stated in an interview with Javan that the Supreme Leader asked him to follow up on the issue of granting Iranian citizenship to the forces of the 'Fatimiyoun Brigade.' Rasoul Khazari, in his further remarks, mentioned the presence of five million Afghans in Iran, all of whom, according to him, are currently 'working.' According to this member of the Social Commission of Parliament, 'Many of these Afghan nationals are undocumented, and most of them are engaged in construction jobs.' This parliament member criticized the employment of five million Afghans in Iran, stating, 'If foreign nationals are organized, many problems for the country's youth will be solved.' He also added, 'There is no will to enforce laws prohibiting the employment of undocumented foreign nationals in the country, and we continue to witness the employment of undocumented foreign nationals by violating employers.'