Two new border crossings will be established on the Iran-Iraq border in the near future, according to Iraq’s Ministry of Interior. The two new border crossings include one in Ali Al-Gharbi region in Iraq’s Maysan Province and another in Al-Shahabi region in the country’s Wasit Province, IRNA reported. The projects are currently at the preliminary stages. However, the Iraqi ministry says it expects Al-Shahabi border crossing to become operational in 2016. Upon the completion of the projects, the number of border crossings between Iran and Iraq will reach 10. Haj Omran, Bashmaq, Parvizkhan, Khosravi, Mandali, Mehran, Al Sheeb and Shalamcheh are active border crossings. The addition of the crossings is aimed at promoting trade and tourism between the two countries, both of which have set the target of raising annual bilateral trade to $20 billion from the current $12 billion. There is also a dire need for tourism infrastructures, as the number of visitors from both sides is on the rise. The number of Iranian pilgrims visiting Iraq’s religious sites has topped 2 million so far in the current Iranian year (March 2015-16).
