Around Iran: Regional Round-up

News from Iran’s provinces: a drug raid in Fars leaves five dead; authorities tally pollution fatalities; Yazd city council takes action against Nowruz celebrations; proposals to deal with Tehran’s illegal immigrants; and match-making for young adults, courtesy of the Youth Ministry.

Five Dead in Fars Anti-Narcotics Raid

Two law enforcement officials and three drug smugglers were killed during an armed clash last week in Fars Province. The incident, which took place in Kharameh County, pitted police against six men armed with Kalashnikovs, grenades and other weapons. According to police commander Cyrus Sajjadian, "the discovery phase of the investigation revealed that a number of drug smugglers from Sistan-Baluchestan Province intended to distribute a large shipment of narcotics into Fars" from a location in Zahedan. The news website Shirazeh reported that four tons of narcotics were seized following the clash on the evening of 4 March.

Tehran Province: Home to 560,000 Illegal Refugees

Tehran Province is home to some 560,000 undocumented refugees, provincial officials announced last week. Issa Mousavinasab, Director-General of the Foreign Nationals and Immigration Department of Tehran Province, released the figures, along with plans for dealing with the illegal refugee population. According to Mousavinasab, who made the announcement during a visit to Varamin in the southern part of the province,“Tehran hosts 272,000 legal refugees and 560,000 refugees with unlawful status."  

Iran is host to roughly two million Afghan refugees, most of who lack legal residency status.

Nowruz Celebrations Banned in Parts of Yazd

To mark the Shia observance of Fatemieh, the Islamic Council of Yazd approved a measure that will prohibit celebratory displays in areas owned or maintained by the city government. The measure takes on particular significance this year, as the Fatemieh commemoration, from March 12^th to April 4^th, overlaps with the beginning of the Persian New Year and related festivities. Areas affected by the prohibition include parks, public squares, amphitheaters and sporting facilities.

Iran’s Share of Global Pollution Deaths Tops 10 Per Cent

Provincial authorities have for the first time gathered together official figures on air pollution-related fatalities across Iran. According to Mehr, the Forestry Bureau’s Hojjatoleslam Ghassemipour gave an official country-wide figure of roughly 80,000 deaths related to pollution each year. Speaking before Friday Prayers in Shahr-e Qods, the official noted that the fatalities account for 10 per cent of all pollution-related fatalities in the world and accused the government of neglecting the issue in previous years.

Ministry of Youth Affairs to Set Up Match-Making Centers

The director of the Youth Affairs Ministry, Mahmoud Golzari, remarked last week that "dating websites and organizations are illegal”, adding that “they will be dealt with by the authorities". According to IRNA, Golzari stated that the ministry was opposed to organizations that offer match-making services for “young single people who can't find partners”.  He said the ministry planned to create its own centers, working in consultation with “the individual, his family and experts” to provide “the proper tools to make the right decision without selecting potential matches for them".

In order to provide services that comply with regulations set out by the Youth Affairs Ministry, Golzari said that “an agreement has been made between the Department of Psychology and Counseling, and licensed specialists will go through training to familiarize themselves with the ministry’s requirements and rules. These individuals will then be able to provide counsel on behalf of the ministry beginning in June 2014.” In a related interview with ISNA, Tehran’s police chief referred to dating sites as “unlawful”, explaining that “individuals involved in creating these sites have been known to exploit personal information from users for blackmailing purposes”.