Iran, Iraq Agree on Passenger Transport across Joint River

Iranian and Iraqi officials have held talks and reached preliminary agreement for passenger transport across Arvand Rud (Shatt Al-Arab) river at the shared border.

A statement from the Ministry of Transportation of Iraq received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), revealed that “Ahmed Jasim Al-Asadi, Director of the General Company for Maritime Transport, participated in a joint meeting with representatives of ports in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The aim was to activate passenger transport between the two nations across the Shatt al-Arab(Arvand Rud as it is called on the Iranian side of the border). This meeting aligns with the directives of Minister of Minister of Transport Razak Muhaibis Al-Saadi, following his recent discussions with his Iranian counterpart."

Furthermore, he emphasized the necessity of this route to facilitate passenger transportation between the two countries, especially during religious occasions, in order to alleviate crowding at land border crossings. He noted that the company possesses a ready dock for the comfort of passengers, highlighting that the boats of both countries are modern, secure for passenger transport, and equipped with rescue facilities.

Al-Asadi explained, "The transportation will be between the Iranian ports of Khorramshahr and the Ashar pier on the banks of the Shatt al-Arab (Arvand Rud) due to the ease of transportation by boats currently available, which are the best and fastest to stimulate river taxi traffic with its tourism and economic advantages." - Mehr