TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said some UN member states, which are duty-bound to contribute to the global fight against illicit drugs, do not take any measure to support countries like Iran that are on the front line of the war against narcotics.





Speaking at a meeting with Cuba’s Justice Minister Maria Esther Reus Gonzalez in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs, Rahmani Fazli highlighted Iran’s all-out efforts to combat illicit drugs originating from neighboring Afghanistan.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is standing against the huge influx of illicit drugs like “a strong barrier”, he said, adding that many countries are benefiting from the fruits of these efforts by Iran.

He went on to say that although Iran is on the front line of the war against narcotics and is hindering the transit of illicit drugs from Afghanistan to the West and Europe, no Western country supports Iran.

Cuban justice minister, for her part, underlined that her country has a serious judicial mechanism for controlling and dealing with crimes related to addiction and drug trafficking.

She also called for cooperation between Tehran and Havana in fighting drugs.

In recent decades, Iran has been hit by drug trafficking, mainly because of its 936-kilometer shared border with Afghanistan, which produces more than 90% of the world’s opium.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Islamic Republic is netting eight times more opium and three times more heroin than all other countries in the world combined.

The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 3,700 Iranian police officers over the past 30 years.

By Tasnim News Agency