Much of the Arab minority in Iran lives in the strategically-important oil-producing Khuzestan province in southern Iran (known as Ahwaz by the Arab community) which adjoins Iraq. Historically, the Arab community has been marginalized and discriminated against in various ways. Expropriation of land belonging to or occupied by members of the Arab minority is reportedly so widespread that it appears to amount to an unofficial policy aimed at dispossessing Arabs of their lands. This is linked to measures such as zero interest loans for land, not available to Arabs, which encourage or facilitate the relocation of non-Arabs to Khuzestan.
