Iran's deputy police chief General Qassem Rezaei called on the public to report any gathering of "unauthorised nationals" to the police.

Rezaei said that it is illegal for "unauthorised nationals" to buy or rent a bank card, house or car.

Iran's Deputy Police chief General Qassem Rezaei said, "Due to the events that have taken place in our Muslim and friendly country, Afghanistan, in the past 40 years, a number of citizens of that country have migrated to our country to continue their lives. Some of these people have entered the country completely legally and they are our guests, and there is nothing wrong with that."

He added that some of these foreign nationals have entered Iran "illegally" and are working and living, and their actions are considered as crimes under the law.

Iran's deputy police chief stressed that any "unauthorised" employment of foreign nationals is a crime and that employers who give jobs to these nationals will definitely be dealt with judicially.

General Qassem Rezaei clarified that according to the new policies, "unauthorised nationals" must return to their country of origin and the police have also prepared the ground for their return. Wherever "unauthorised nationals" are found, he noted, the police are obliged to identify, collect and return them to the borders.

This comes as the Islamic Republic has increasingly increased the deportation of Afghan refugees. Official reports indicate that Iranian authorities are detaining hundreds of Afghan refugees and returning them to Afghanistan every day.