Iran’s plans to seize Ahwazi lands under the pretext of “updating property records”
In a controversial move, local sources revealed that Iran’s authorities are working to convert old property records in Ahwaz into what they call “single-page deeds,” claiming they are more accurate and reliable. However, Ahwazis see this step as nothing more than a new cover for land theft and confiscation.
Official data confirms that 55% of property records in Ahwaz have already been converted into the new format, but Ahwazi activists warn that the real purpose behind these measures is to tighten control over property ownership and create a legal pretext for dispossessing residents.
Observers believe that Iran’s requirement to convert old property records into the new format as a condition for receiving government services is merely a tool to force Ahwazis into complying with schemes aimed at altering the demographic structure and depriving locals of their ancestral lands.
Residents also fear that these so-called “property reforms” will become a mechanism to legitimize manipulation of ownership in favor of settlers or companies affiliated with Iran, especially in the absence of transparency and given the long history of displacement and land confiscation in Ahwaz.
Activists consider this step an extension of an ongoing conspiracy to erase Ahwazi identity and plunder its resources, stressing that the battle to protect the land lies at the heart of the struggle with Iran.
