Land Mines From Iraq War Continue to Plague Iran
Though there is a lack of official data, Iran remains the second-most mine-polluted country in the world, with eradication no simple task.
Iran is the second-most mine-polluted country in the world. On Aug. 30, Iranian Students’ News Agency acknowledged a UN report which stated that 16 million mines remain planted in Iranian soil. The number of land mine victims has never been officially released by Iran's Mine Action Center (IRMAC), but unofficial statistics point to one person being maimed or killed every day.
There are many reasons why Iran has been unable to remove its land mines. In addition to sanctions and Iran’s domestic issues with NGOs, there appears to be, 23 years after the Iran-Iraq war, self-defense reasons why Iran has been slow to remove land mines from its borders.
Five provinces in western and southern Iran — West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, Kurdestan, Ilam and Khouzestan — are polluted with mines left over from the Iran-Iraq war. Iranian officials generally refrain from citing numbers when they talk about mine-polluted areas. In 2012, a Khouzestan official claimed that it is not clear exactly how many mines are left there.
One reason for the lack of accurate information, say Human Rights Watch and the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, which have worked with IRMAC in the past, is that ties with Iran have essentially been severed and Tehran is no longer covered by the Landmine Monitor, which is a program providing research and continuous monitoring for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Cluster Munition Coalition.
