Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that foreigners living in the country illegally will be returned "with respect".

In the first press conference after his inauguration as president, Pezeshkian said that so far three Security Council meetings have been held on the issue of Afghan immigrants.

"Some of them have passports, they have connections. Naturally, they should be treated in a particular way. Some of them have come against the law, and they have to follow legal framework. One cannot enter illegally. There is a framework for presence in any country, even in Islamic countries. For example, if we go to Afghanistan without a passport, they might not let us in,” he said.

"As I have already said, we are brothers but following a series of frameworks between governments is a rule that we must follow, and we are in the process of setting this legal framework between Islamic countries,” he added.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimates that nearly 4.5 million Afghan nationals currently live in Iran. According to Iranian news agencies, however, the real number could be as high as 6 million or 8 million.

Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid has warned the military that if army members engage in administrative corruption or neglect their duties, they will face demotion, imprisonment and dismissal.

Speaking at the conclusion of a reform seminar for 100 inspectors of the army, he said that the Defense Ministry’s leadership carefully reads the reports of the inspectors before making a decision.

He warned that if someone was found to have engaged in corruption or neglect of duty based on these reports, he will face serious action, including demotion, imprisonment or dismissal.

Mujahid also asked the members of the army to spare no efforts in serving the people and protecting the country.

"Try not to neglect duty," he said. “Do the task that is assigned to you according to the standard that has been told.”

According to military experts, Afghanistan needs both trained forces and advanced military facilities and equipment to overcome security challenges.

“Training should be based on the accepted standards of modern armies, not guerrilla training or things that are backward and not useful today,” Asadullah Nadim, a military expert, said. "If the modern training program is not applied to the army, then the army will ultimately fail."

In the past three years, the Islamic Emirate has made a huge effort to reform regular security forces and has been able to have regular personnel in the Ministry of National Defense, Interior Affairs, and General Directorate of Intelligence.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday called on Afghanistan's neighbors to put aside "small issues" and cooperate for the welfare of the people.

Muttaqi made the remarks while hosting a reception for envoys of the foreign governments and representatives of regional and international organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul.

In his speech, he presented information about the inauguration of TAPI, TAP, fiber optics and railway projects.

Muttaqi pointed out that the inauguration of the TAPI project in Afghanistan, in fact, indicates the transition from war to development and cooperation.

He expressed hope that this project will be completed and that the people of Pakistan and India will also benefit from it.

Muttaqi also called on countries to work for mutual benefit, instead of negative rivalry and look at issues only from a security point of view.

He expressed hope that with the commencement of large economic projects, a major economic transformation will take place in the region.

Muttaqi said that the expansion of relations between the Islamic Emirate and the countries of the region shows that the Afghan government has both the will and the capacity to expand political relations.

“It is important to have mutual respect and respect each other's legitimate interests,” he noted.