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Iranian Interior Minister Abdolvahed Lari reiterated on Tuesday that his country will offer shelters for Iraqi refugees on the Iraqi soil.
"We have repeatedly announced to different international circles that Iran has no the appropriate facility to admit Iraqi refugees and provide them with services inside its territories," Lari said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.
He said Iran has provided the Iraqi refugees with three camps in three border regions, adding Iran was ready to establish refugee camps inside its lands in case of influx of Iraqi refugees.
According to Iranian officials, preparations have been made for the establishment of refugee camps with assistance from the United Nations.
They stressed that in case the war deteriorates and triggers the influx of Iraqi refugees into Iran's border, Iran will definitely need further international aid.
Meanwhile, an eight-member delegation of the United Nations Children's Fund inspected a refugee camp in west Iran's Kermanshah province.
The first consignment of the UN body's aid, including tents, sanitary units, medicines, hygienic products, foodstuff and educational kits, arrived in Iran last week.
Despite mounting international opposition, the United States launched its war against Iraq at 0530 a.m. (0230 GMT) last Thursday, in a bid to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The offensives, the first preemptive strikes in the US history, kicked off about 90 minutes after the expiration of an ultimatum issued by US President George W. Bush for Saddam to leave the country or face war.
The United States has accused Iraq of hiding and secretly developing banned weapons as well as having linkage with the al-Qaeda terror network. Iraq strongly denies the US allegation.
(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2003)
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