Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi trucks have begun operating under the international TIR transit system for the first time, joining cross-border routes that had previously been handled exclusively by foreign carriers inside Iraq, the General Company for Land Transportation announced on Saturday.

Company Director Murtadha Al-Shahmani put the number of TIR journeys across Iraqi territory since the system became operational at more than 5,000. Administered by the International Road Transport Union (IRU), the network connects more than 79 countries, including Iraq.

Al-Shahmani said Iraqi trucks had begun transporting cargo from Saudi Arabia through the Arar border crossing toward Central Asia, which he called “an opportunity to generate revenue from Iraq’s position as a regional transit corridor.”

The TIR system (Transports Internationaux Routiers) is a UN-backed customs framework that allows goods to cross multiple international borders under a single customs guarantee, reducing paperwork and inspection delays. Iraq joined the system in partnership with the IRU to streamline customs procedures and facilitate freight movement.

The Transport Ministry has signed agreements with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Iran, and Turkiye, while Armenia, Poland, and several Gulf states are pursuing similar arrangements with Baghdad. Al-Shahmani also pointed to the Development Road as a longer-term opportunity to expand freight traffic through the country.

In June, Israa Hannoun, director of the Land Transport Department at the Transport Ministry’s Technical Directorate, told Shafaq News that the country had fully activated the TIR system, opening seven international trade corridors over the past eight months.