Border closures mark Iranian police plans for new year
Iran's police chief said the new Iranian year starting on Friday will mark a significant push towards sealing the country's borders and intensifying the fight against crime.
Iran's police chief said the new Iranian year starting on Friday will mark a significant push towards sealing the country's borders and intensifying the fight against crime.
General Ahmad-Reza Radan, the national police commander, announced on Wednesday that enhanced equipment and operational capabilities would enable a leap in border security for the Iranian year 1404.
"The border and its closure were among the challenges for the police in 1403," Radan stated, promising a decisive shift in the coming year without elaborating on details.
Up to 8 million Afghans have illegally entered Iran since 2021, compounding the country's economic challenges such as shortage of energy and water. The authorities have not been able or unwilling to commit resources to protecting the long border.
Last April, Deputy Police Chief Qasem Rezaei said that the construction of a border wall with Afghanistan would "help prevent drug trafficking, the movement of outlaws, and terrorist infiltrations."
The border fortification plan, which entails building a four-meter concrete wall, along with barbed wire, fencing, and proper roads along the northwestern and eastern borders, is scheduled for completion within the next two years.
In addition to border security, Radan outlined key priorities for the police in the coming year, 1404, including, reducing traffic violations, combating theft and the trade of stolen goods and leveling up the fight against drugs.
"1404 will be a bitter year for thieves and those who deal in stolen goods," Radan warned, as crime has increased amid the current economic crisis.
Radan detailed the extensive deployment of security forces during the Nowruz 1404 Exercise which showcased the police's readiness for the Iranian New Year holidays.
"More than 16,000 patrols, 20 helicopters, dozens of drones, and over 250,000 police personnel will secure the country from the borders to the cities," he said.
Tehran's police chief, General Abbas Ali Mohammadian, reported a 19% decrease in thefts in the capital during the past year, attributing it to increased police activity. He also noted a rise in emergency call responses and significant seizures of narcotics.
Iranian police called for public cooperation and adherence to Islamic fasting rules during the coinciding Nowruz and Ramadan periods, emphasizing that celebrations must align with Islamic rules.
While Nowruz is not officially banned, its pre-Islamic roots have long been a point of contention among religious hardliners who dominate key centers of power. These groups often discourage traditional Persian festivals, viewing them as remnants of the past that glorify pre-Islamic Persian history.
In previous years, authorities have attempted to limit gatherings at historically significant sites such as Persepolis and the tomb of Cyrus the Great in Pasargadae, sometimes leading to clashes with participants.
Israel launched air strikes on the battered coastal enclave on Monday killing over 400 people according to the Hamas-run health ministry, appearing to end a two-month ceasefire brokered by the United States.
The strikes on some 80 targets aimed at Hamas mid-level and senior personnel and were over in about 10 minutes, an Israeli security official said according to an official press release.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of intransigence as talks for it to release 59 hostages seized in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel - many of them dead - floundered.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei blamed the United States for the attack, saying it had direct responsibility for "the continuation of genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories".
Hours later, the Israeli military said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, shooting it down beyond Israel's borders.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command announced it had carried out fresh air raids on the armed Houthi movement in Yemen allied to Tehran, publishing videos on X showing fighter jets taking off from an aircraft carrier.
The ceasefire in Gaza had tamped down 15 months of conflict pitting Iran and its proxies against Israel throughout the region which saw Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" much degraded, with Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah heavily hit.
Looming behind the uptick of violence, Iran has so far defied a demand by US President Donald Trump to come to a new deal over its disputed nuclear program or face a military intervention.
According to an official White House readout of a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, "the two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel."
"The leaders spoke broadly about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts," the White House added. "They further discussed the need to stop proliferation of strategic weapons and will engage with others to ensure the broadest possible application."
The remarks suggest a fresh US bid to end the war in Ukraine may see Russia attempt to head off a conflict between its Iranian ally and the United States.
Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and top Iranian officials have vowed a devastating response to any attack.
US airstrikes hit dozens of Houthi targets throughout Yemen on Saturday in a bid to halt the Shi'ite armed groups attacks on commercial shipping and its own naval vessels, which have ensnared US sailors in the most intense fighting since World War II.
Yemen's Houthi foreign minister said the group will not halt its Red Sea attacks on shipping in solidarity with the Palestinians, saying Iran did not dictate its actions.
Trump on Monday warned the United States would punish Iran for any further attacks by the Houthis, which would be treated as emanating from the Islamic Republic itself.
Iran's military said its manned fighter aircraft had chased away an armed American attack drone in the skies off the Iranian coast, state media reported on Tuesday. There was no immediate reaction by the US armed forces.
The Pentagon on Monday indicated it did not seek an open-ended campaign in Yemen nor did it seek regime change, in an apparent reference to Iran.
“We will use overwhelming lethal force until we achieve our objective. And this is a very important point, this is not an endless offensive," spokesman Sean Parnell said.
"This is not about regime change in the Middle East, this is about protecting American interests.”
Isa Bozorgzadeh, spokesman for Iran’s water industry, said on Tuesday that the usable capacity of Karaj Dam near Tehran has dropped to nearly half, much of it rendered useless due to sediment buildup.
“Lar Dam has practically dried up, and Latian, Taleqan, and Mamloo reservoirs are facing a 46% decrease in rainfall compared to the average and 25% compared to last year,” he told ILNA news agency.
Water shortages have triggered growing concerns in recent weeks, particularly in Tehran and Isfahan provinces, where officials have raised the possibility of rationing.
Bozorgzadeh cautioned that Tehran is consuming 50 million cubic meters of surface water each month while the combined reserves of the capital’s five main dams—including dead storage and sediment—amount to just 60 million cubic meters.
“Conditions have deteriorated to the point where even a motorcyclist could drive through the reservoirs,” he said.
Eastern Tehran’s water and wastewater company reported that Latian and Mamloo dams are each only 12% full, while Lar is down to just 1%. Karaj, a historically stable reservoir, has shrunk to 7% capacity.
Iran’s water supply depends largely on rainfall, snowmelt, and underground aquifers, but decades of over-extraction have left groundwater tables severely depleted. The sharp decline in precipitation—down more than 40% in Tehran province relative to long-term averages—has compounded the problem.
Beyond Tehran, Bozorgzadeh identified Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Bushehr as regions struggling with a 50% drop in rainfall.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani acknowledged the severity of the situation, saying, “A nationwide decrease in average rainfall this year has led to shortfalls as high as 75% in some provinces.”
Iran’s energy ministry reports show that despite lower rainfall, hydropower generation increased by 24% in the fiscal year beginning March 2023, amid the country's energy crisis, reaching 17 terawatt-hours and maintaining that level into the current year.
Dalga Khatinoglu, an oil and gas analyst, suggested the government’s decision to sustain hydroelectric output was a factor in the current crisis.
“Iran failed to achieve its planned growth in thermal and renewable energy, leaving it dependent on hydropower,” he told Iran International. “Over the past two years, the country commissioned just 4 gigawatts of new plants—about 30% of its target—with 90% being gas-fired. The rest came from renewables.”
Hydropower reliance, combined with a persistent drought, has accelerated reservoir depletion, leaving little room for recovery even if precipitation levels were to improve.
Meanwhile, Iranian media has begun to raise alarms about broader implications. Etemad newspaper warned that 2025 could mark a turning point in the country’s water and energy crisis, predicting that shortages could become more severe than any previously experienced. Some hydrologists have cautioned that Iran has used up nearly 1,000 years' worth of groundwater reserves in just three decades.