The Education Assessment Office, a branch of the Education Ministry, has published a list of areas of study that will no longer accept foreign nationals, as well as regions of Iran where foreign nationals such as Afghan immigrants are not allowed to reside.
The Mehr news agency published the chart on Friday, indicating that foreign nationals are completely barred from entering 14 Iranian provinces. In addition, foreign nationals residing in Mazandaran are required to leave that province as of early July.
The chart appears to indicate that Afghan immigrants are also barred from residing in certain regions in another 12 provinces.
Iranian activists expressed outrage in April when local authorities in Esfahan barred Afghan immigrants from entering a park.
Later it was announced that Afghan immigrants living in Mazandaran are obliged to leave the province by July, which drew widespread criticism and symbolic gestures of support from various communities, especially the Iranian film community.
According to the newly published chart, Afghan nationals are only allowed to reside without restrictions in the provinces of Tehran, Alborz and Qom.
The chart also indicates that Iraqi nationals residing in Iran are barred from settling in Kerman, Sistan-Baluchistan and North and South Khorasan.
oreign nationals are also reportedly barred from studying nuclear physics, physics, nuclear engineering, information technology, aeronautics, petrochemical engineering, mining and several other fields related to aviation, navigation and military studies.