“Travel across the land border is not possible without a visa, and pilgrims must have a visa. Of course, our friends are trying and consulting with the Iraqi side so that people can travel to Iraq through the land borders without a visa,” Vahidi told reporters on Tuesday.
The Iranian interior minister noted that air travelers between Iran and Iraq are not required to obtain a visa.
Iraq is a major source of tourists visiting Iran. And a very large number of Iranian pilgrims head for the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala each year.
But coronavirus restrictions have drastically reduced the number of Iranians and Iraqis visiting the two countries.
Iranian and Iraqi officials have been negotiating to waive visas for all forms of travel for their nationals.
