$135m Spent on Border Roads Leading to Iraq

Renovation and expansion of land routes leading to Iraq have cost the Iranian government 5.5 trillion rials ($135.67 million) since the fiscal 2014-15, a deputy roads and urban development minister said. According to Kheirollah Khademi, who is also CEO of Iran’s Transportation Infrastructure Construction and Development Company, these roads lead to Mehran, Chazzabeh, Shalamcheh and Khosravi border crossings along Iran’s common border with neighboring Iraq.

The Iranian government has embarked upon these projects mainly to facilitate the travel of some 650,000 pilgrims that head to Iraq every year to commemorate Arbaeen.

Arbaeen is a major Shia event marking the 40th-day anniversary after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Each year, a large number of Shias converge on the Iraqi city of Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (PBUH) is located.