Iraq, Iran agree to transport passengers via Shatt Al-Arab
Iraqi and Iranian officials held talks on Tuesday, after which they reached a preliminary agreement to transport passengers between the two countries across the Shatt Al-Arab River, which runs along their shared border.
The Iraqi Ministry of Transport said in a statement that the director of the State Company for Maritime Transport (SCMT), Ahmed Al-Asadi, took part in a meeting with officials from Iranian ports to initiate passenger transport between the two countries via the Shatt Al-Arab, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
The Iraqi Minister of Transport, Razzaq Al-Saadawi, ordered that this meeting be convened following his recent discussions with his Iranian counterpart.
Al-Asadi emphasized the significance of the agreement, as it will lessen traffic at land border crossings and facilitate passenger movement between the two countries, particularly on cultural and religious occasions.
The SCMT director indicated that both countries’ passenger boats are modern, secure, and equipped with rescue gear.
The river Shatt Al-Arab stretches for around 200 kilometers (about 120 miles). Its southernmost point, when it empties into the Persian Gulf, marks the border between Iran and Iraq.
The width of the Shatt Al-Arab varies, reaching up to 800 meters (2,600 feet) near its mouth and around 232 meters (761 feet) in the southern Iraqi governorate of Basra.
