Iran reopened Chazzabeh and Shalamcheh border crossings to Iraq for resumption of exports on Wednesday, according to a local official, after they were closed due to the massive influx of pilgrims.
“Starting Sept. 5, exports from these two borders halted temporarily, as Iranians headed to the city of Karbala for the Arbaeen pilgrimage. The last group of pilgrims returned on Sept. 21 and the borders reopened subsequently,” Behrouz Qarehbeigi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that during the pilgrimage, Iran exported to Iraq’s Basra and Abu Flous ports through Khorramshahr’s marine border.
“Last year [March 2021-22], we exported a total of $1 billion worth of goods, mainly foodstuff, fruit and vegetable, home appliances, seafood and construction material, to Iraq through Chazzabeh and Shalamcheh,” he added.
Iraq hosts over two million Iranians every year during Arbaeen, a major Shia event marking the 40th-day anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and his 72 family members and companions.
Iran’s six border crossings with Iraq were closed to Arbaeen pilgrims earlier this month, causing problems on the Iranian side of the borders, as Iranian officials asked passengers to avoid land border crossings for a few days, Fars News Agency reported.
Lack of buses on the Iraqi side, limited number of entry gates on the Iraqi side and shortage of water and food supplies for stranded passengers were among shortcomings at the border crossings that inconvenienced many passengers.
Majid Mir-Ahmadi, the head of Arbaeen Central Headquarters, said there are not enough buses on the Iraqi side to transport Iranian pilgrims to Najaf from where they trek to Karbala on foot, adding that Iran had sent buses to help ease the situation in Iraq.
Iran’s exports to Iraq via three border crossings of Shalamcheh, Chazzabeh and Mehran were suspended until Sept. 17 to make room for pilgrims traveling by road during the Arbaeen commemoration season, the spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration said, adding that traders could use other border crossings, namely Parvizkhan, Soumar, Shoshemi, Sheikh Saleh and Khorramshahr’s marine border crossing.
“The measure has been taken because these border crossings do not have the capacity to accommodate both pilgrims and trucks carrying goods at the same time,” Rouhollah Latifi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Decline in Exports
Iran’s exports to Iraq during the first four months of the current Iranian year (March 21-July 22) saw more than a 15% decline compared with the similar period of last year.
According to Secretary-General of Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce Jahanbakhsh Sanjabi-Shirazi, Iran exported a total of 6.93 million tons of goods to Iraq worth $2.39 billion during the four months under review.
Iran and Iraq traded 25.93 million tons of goods worth $8.64 billion since Ebrahim Raisi took office as Iran’s president in Aug. 23, 2021 as of June 21, 2022, the IRICA spokesman said recently.
He made the statement on the occasion of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s visit to Iran.
First Unrestricted Pilgrimage Since Covid Outbreak
The pilgrimage this year was the first since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, as pilgrims could enter Iraq in large numbers and without restrictions.
In addition to the large number of Iranian pilgrims, thousands of Afghan citizens also entered Iraq through Iran, as per a bilateral agreement between Iran and Iraq.
Iraq has had no diplomatic relationship with Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power last year. Therefore, Iraq agreed to receive Afghan pilgrims who had obtained multiple-entry visas to Iran. They came to Iraq through Iran and returned with the same visa.
This put a great deal of pressure on Iraqi authorities in charge of managing the ceremony and pilgrims.
The Iraqi government had established a special committee under the guidance of Interior Minister Othman Ghanemi, with high-ranking members from other relevant entities, including the Health Ministry and border authorities.
A majority of services, including accommodation, are managed by Iraqi volunteers who offer food, clothing and accommodations to pilgrims on their way to Karbala, where Imam Hussein's (PBUH) holy shrine is located.
Transportation, medical, electricity and other public services are the government's responsibility.
Arbaeen was held on Sept. 17 over a span of three weeks — two weeks before the date and a week afterwards — as pilgrims mostly walk to the holy shrine from surrounding cities; some even use a longer track from far southern cities like Basra, Amarah and Nasiriyah.
Arbaeen — with all of its challenges — created a calm in Iraq amid an ongoing political crisis that erupted after the elections held last October. Prior to the pilgrimage, rival Shia groups — Sadrists and the Coordination Framework — clashed violently in the Green Zone, leaving more than 60 dead and almost a thousand injured.
The political crisis is expected to resume after Arbaeen, as both sides have become inflexible toward a political solution, Al-Monitor reported.
