Hamid Ahmadi, a member of the Arbaeen visitation committee affiliated with the Iranian government, predicted that the number of Arbaeen visitors coming from Iran to the holy city of Karbala would be around 6 million this year. He emphasized that no visitor would be allowed to cross into Iraq without a passport or travel document issued by the Iranian Ministry of Interior, as per an agreement with Iraq.
Ahmadi stated in an interview with "Baghdad Today," "We consulted with our Iraqi counterparts and received approval from the officials at the Arbaeen visitation headquarters in the country. We agreed that this year's slogan for the Arbaeen visit is 'Karbala, the Road to Al-Aqsa' in light of the resistance shown by the Palestinian resistance against the Zionist entity for months."
He added that the Iranian Ministry of Interior, in coordination with the pilgrimage and visitation organization, would open registration for the Arbaeen visit through an electronic platform during the second ten days of the month of Muharram.
The Iranian official noted that "according to the agreement reached with the Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari during his visit to Tehran last month, Iranian visitors, as well as visitors from neighboring countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, will enter through the Shalamcheh, Al-Shayb, Mehran, Khosravi, and Bashmaq borders."
He continued, "We are considering dedicating a specific crossing for the passage of foreign visitors from Pakistan and Afghanistan through the Shalamcheh crossing with Basra province, and we are currently studying this issue from several aspects."
Regarding security coordination with the Iraqi side concerning visitor safety, he responded, "The security and safety of the visitors to Imam Hussein's Arbaeen (peace be upon him) is a top priority for the Iranian and Iraqi border guards, and we will make significant efforts to ensure the smooth movement of entry and exit at the border crossings."
He explained that "last week, we had a meeting with the Iraqi border guard commander, and the border guards of both countries enjoy good relations at all levels. There is full coordination in controlling the shared borders, and in the field of border monitoring, the border guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq will exert their utmost efforts to create stable security."
When asked about the number of Iranian visitors last year, he answered that "last year, 4,050,000 Iranian visitors participated in the Arbaeen ceremonies, an increase of 18% compared to 2022." This means that if 6 million Iranian visitors enter this year, it would represent a 50% increase over the 4 million visitors last year.
