Iran prepares new Iraq border route for trade and pilgrims

Shafaq News- Ilam/ Maysan

Iran’s Jilat border crossing with Iraq’s Maysan province has entered the operational phase, bringing the long-delayed trade and passenger gateway between the neighboring countries closer to opening, Iranian media reported on Monday.

According to Iran's Fars News Agency, the announcement came during talks between Ilam Governor Ahmad Karami and a delegation from Iraq's Maysan province on border cooperation, trade and pilgrim movement. Work is in progress to complete key infrastructure at the crossing, including communications networks, water, electricity, gas supplies and access roads.

The crossing could also be partially opened to travelers and foreign nationals during the upcoming Shiite Arbaeen pilgrimage season, which draws millions of visitors to Iraq each year, while full operations are planned for next year, with authorities aiming to expand trade and facilitate the movement of people and goods between the two countries.

Jilat, the agency added, is also intended to serve as a supporting route to the busy Mehran border crossing, one of the main gateways between Iran and Iraq.

Iraq approved the reopening of the Jilat border market in September 2025, with Karami saying at the time that Ilam's 420-kilometer border with Iraq made the province a strategic hub for trade and cross-border cooperation. The project also enters the operational phase as Iran seeks to expand the use of land borders and alternative trade corridors. Earlier this month, Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh said Tehran was shifting part of its import network toward land crossings and northern routes because of disruptions at southern ports caused by the ongoing US blockade, adding that provincial border committees had been established to facilitate trade and transit.