Iranian, Iraqi interior ministers meet at border crossing

The interior ministers of Iran and Iraq, Ahmad Vahidi and Abdul Amir al-Shammari, have met at a border crossing between the two countries, discussing border security.

Vahidi and al-Shammari met at the Khosravi / al-Manzarieh crossing on Monday.

They also discussed preparations ahead of a pilgrimage by Iranians to the holy shrine of Imam Hossein (PBUH) on Arba’een, which marks forty days from the Imam’s martyrdom anniversary and when millions of Iranians travel to Karbala — many of them on foot — to visit the shrine.

Vahidi has traveled to Iran’s west to personally oversee preparations ahead of Arba’een, including a camping site built by Iran’s Defense Ministry on grounds seven hectares in area.

The site has four sheds, each measuring 1,200 square meters, to accommodate pilgrims. A 600-square-meter kitchen, two helicopter pads, and 40 public restrooms are among the other amenities at the site.

There is also a parking lot that can hold 1,000 vehicles.

Nearly one million people are estimated to pass through the Khosravi / al-Manzarieh border crossing, in Iran’s Qasr-e Shirin, and into Iraq for Arba’een this year.

IFP Editorial Staff

The IFP Editorial Staff is composed of dozens of skilled journalists, news-writers, and analysts whose works are edited and published by experienced editors specialized in Iran News. The editor of each IFP Service is responsible for the report published by the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website, and can be contacted through the ways mentioned in the "IFP Editorial Staff" section.