Abbas Jowhari, the deputy governor of Tehran, referred to the presence of 2.5 million immigrants in the western part of the Iranian capital, as a big challenge for the province.
Afghans make up the largest immigrant population in Iran, and they have repeatedly complained about the behaviour of the Iranian government.
At the 11th regional meeting of the Tehran Cultural Council on Sunday, Jowhari said that the issue of the presence of immigrants, especially in the field of education, requires financial resources.
According to reports, Afghan immigrants in Iran are facing many problems. One of them is the education of Afghan immigrant children, who encounter difficulties when trying to enroll in schools.
The issue of Afghan immigrants has also been discussed in the Iranian parliament. Mohammad Taghi Naghd, representative of Khomeinishahr, claimed that Iranian citizens are unhappy with the increasing presence of foreign nationals and consider it an "invasion".
He said, "The presence of foreign nationals in the cities, particularly in the realm of education, has had an impact on the security of the localities”.
Naghd asked for the explanation of the parliament’s speaker in this regard.
According to the statistics of Iran’s Ministry of Interior, more than five million Afghan immigrants live in Iran.
