Iraq agrees to limited reopening of two borders with Iran

Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said that the Soomar and Shalamcheh borders will be reopened to a limited extent.

Seyyed Rouhollah Latifi made the announcement on Tuesday, saying that Iraq’s Prime Minister Mostafa al-Kadhimi has agreed to a limited reopening of the Mandali border in Diyala province and the Shalamcheh border in Basra province.

He added that according to the Iraqi officials, the reopening of the two borders will be two days a week and 250 trucks of Iranian export cargo can pass via each border every day.

Iraqi officials have emphasized the strict implementation of health protocols and meeting the needs of the two Iraqi provinces, Latifi said.

Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iraq, Shalamcheh border crossing and other borders in the central government as well as the borders of the Iraqi Kurdistan region had been closed.

Shalamcheh International Border is 15 km away from Khorramshahr and 20 km from Basra, Iraq, and is the most prominent border crossing point in Khuzestan province for trading transactions.

Soomar border is located in Kermanshah province and it was also closed for more than four months due to the coronavirus pandemic.