#IraqProgress: Trains will be moving between Iran and Iraq Within 18 Months
In 18 months, Iraq is likely to complete its first cross-border railway link with neighboring Iran - the Basra-Chalamja connection project - to make pilgrimage to Shi'ite Muslim sites easier for millions of pilgrims.
A roughly 30-kilometer line will connect Basra, a city in southern Iraq, with Shalamja, a border town with Iran. The project aims to transport people from Iranian and Central Asian countries to Shiite holy sites.
Iranian-Iraqi relations have strengthened since 2003, when pro-Tehran Shi'ite Muslim parties took power in Baghdad following the US invasion.
"We should see trains moving in 18 months because it's a short distance," Nasser Al-Asadi told Reuters, adding that there is also a planned metro link between Karbala and Najaf.
For the yearly Arbaeen pilgrimage, millions of Iranians and non-Iranians have entered Iraq through Shalamche and other shared border crossings.
The two nations signed an initial memorandum of understanding (MoU) in March 2011, but it was never followed up on.
Baghdad and Tehran signed a new Memorandum of Understanding in 2014 for the construction of this railway line, but real progress was only made after the two countries resumed discussions in 2021.
Based on Iraq's actions, it is clear that the country intends to remain partners with Iran and Turkey, even though both countries have displayed unfair actions against Iraq. Iraq reminds many of the main characters in the world's most famous book!
