Iraq Opens New Border Crossing with Iran to Boost Trade

The Iraqi government has agreed to open a new border trade gate with Iran in the western Iranian province of Ilam.

With Baghdad's official agreement to open the Chilat border, the number of operating border crossings between Iran and Iraq has increased to seven, facilitating the US$30 billion annual trade route between the two countries, the transit of goods, and the movement of pilgrims to the two holy shrines in the neighboring country.

The Iraqi sources announced that the Iraqi Border Crossings Organization had agreed to build two new border crossings with Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Omar Adnan Harin al-Waeli, Director of the Iraqi Border Crossings Organization had said that seven plans were approved in their meeting, the most important of which was the agreement to start the project to build a border crossing between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in the holy Najaf province (Al-Awiqlah border crossing) and the agreement to start the project to build a border crossing between Iraq and Iran in Maysan province (Al-Gharbi-Jalat border crossing,) which is called Chilat on the Iranian side of the border in Iran's Ilam province.

According to official sources, the infrastructure on the Iranian side, including the road, border guard posts, and customs facilities, has been completed, and in Iraq, the governor of Maysan has sent his written consent to the federal government to open the crossing. - Mehr