Iran has renewed its demand for a drastic cut in the number of refugees in the country.

The interior minister, Abdulvahid Musavi Lari, said the refugees were a heavy burden for Iran, which is in recession, and the government wanted to pave the way for their organised return home.

The BBC Iranian affairs analyst says the comments are in part an attempt to appease domestic public opinion -- he blamed the refugees for the high level of unemployment.

There are an estimated two-million refugees in Iran -- the largest single concentration in the world.

Three- quarters come from Afghanistan which has been beset by war for the past twenty years.

The ruling Taleban movement there called on the United Nations last month to prevent the expulsion of refugees from Iran, after Teheran gave a three-week deadline from the end of October for refugees to leave.