thr 002                                                               


Iran-Afghanistan-Border /POL/                                         


   Probable U.S. attacks will spare Iran - security official         


Mashhad, Khorassan Prov., Sept 16, IRNA -- A top provincial security  


official said Saturday that "no damage is allowed to hit Iran" in case


of retaliatory U.S. strikes against Afghanistan as Iran has sealed off


its joint border with Afghanistan to prevent an influx of refugees.   


    "In any case, we will defend our territory and will not let any   


damage be inflicted on our borders," deputy Khorassan governor-general


for security affairs Hossein Zare-Sefat told IRNA as prospects of U.S.


attacks against Afghanistan has increased.                            


    "We predict that the probable floods of Afghan refugees would be  


flown toward Pakistan and joint borders between Afghanistan and       


southern Iran," he said.                                              


    The official, however, said that no threat has yet been believed  


to have been posed to Iran as, he added, hardline Taliban militia     


have been places in an alert status since the United States vowed to  


retaliate.                                                            


    Iran has called on the security forces along the eastern border   


with Afghanistan to seal off 900-kilometer joint border to encounter  


the consequences of probable U.S. retaliatory strikes against         


Afghanistan following the devastating attacks on the World Trade      


Center and Pentagon which has entombed thousands feared dead.         


    In a statement faxed to IRNA, the interior ministry said military 


and police forces have been deployed along the eastern border to      


prevent the influx of would-be Afghan refugees into Iran in the       


aftermath of the probable U.S. attacks.                               


    Taliban that controls most of Afghanistan, is harboring Saudi     


militant Osama bin Laden, who is fingered as the key suspect in those 


attacks.                                                              


    U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday for the first time      


singled out bin Laden, holed up in Afghanistan, as a prime suspect,   


and said he would have nowhere to hide.                               


    Fearful Afghans began fleeing the country as their hardline       


Taliban rulers vowed to wage war against anyone helping the U.S.      


launch attacks on the country and urged Muslims to fight to their     


deaths.                                                               


    Iran has shown sympathy and support to the United States following


 the attacks that collapsed the U.S. landmarks, commemorating the     


victims by staging candlelit vigils and observing a minute of silence 


at a packed Tehran football stadium.                                  


    Zare-Sefat also said that security forces have since three days   


ago tightened security along the borders with Afghanistan.            


    "We are seeking to settle Afghans along the (eastern border) on   


Afghan soil in case of mass flux of refugees into the Iranian         


territory," he said, adding that authorities have provided necessary  


facilities like tents, water and foodstuff.                           


    "The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has promised   


 to cooperate in case of Afghans immigration," Zare-Sefat said.       


    Iran is home to one of the world's largest refugee population     


caused by a long drawn-out war plaguing neighboring Afghanistan.      


    The massive influx of Afghan refugees into Iran has, however,     


become increasingly burdensome to the Iranian government because of   


the high unemployment, low investment, as well as a crippling drought 


that has hit the country for a third consecutive year.                


    A joint program with the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees has   


repatriated tens of thousands of Afghans amid accusations from members


of the Iranian parliament that they are taking badly needed jobs away 


from Iranian nationals.                                               


AK/AK                                                                 


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::irna    00:50