Shahriar Heidari, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee, called Afghan "unauthorised nationals" as "border invaders" on Iranian soil.

Heidari said that the number of undocumented Afghan nationals reached "two million", stressing that "their illegal presence is not acceptable in any way".

In an interview with Khabar Online, he said "We need at least six years to organise and evacuate the nationals from the country, although our emphasis is on Afghan nationals, but there are also Iraqi, Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals in Iran."

The member of Iranian parliament added that some Afghan nationals who lived in Iraq for a long time and then came to Iran and stayed in Iran, do not have an Afghan, Iraqi or Iranian identity. He said that the situation of these nationals should also be clarified in Iran.

Heidari emphasised that regardless of any kind of attitude towards foreign nationals in Iran, these migrants should be "managed and controlled" with an intelligent system. He claimed that European countries monitor the behaviour of foreign nationals from the moment of arrival to departure by the security and intelligence services.

The Iranian official called undocumented Afghan immigrants in Iran "border aggressors" while the Islamic Republic has made living conditions extremely difficult for Afghan immigrants in Iran and has greatly increased the process of deportation of undocumented Afghans.

The Halvash Human Rights Organisation reported on Wednesday that Iranian border forces opened fire on a large group of Afghans who were trying to enter Iran, killing and wounding dozens of them. The report of the shooting of Afghan refugees has provoked the reaction of many international humanitarian organisations. These organisations have called for a transparent and comprehensive investigation into the matter.