Tehran, Iran— Iran and Syria have signed an agreement to connect the rail network between the two countries through Iraq.
Mehrdad Bazrpash, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, made the announcement at the inauguration ceremony of the construction of the Shalamcheh-Basra railway on Saturday.
“The construction of the Shalamcheh to Basra railway was not materialized for about 40 years due to many reasons, but today the implementation of this project started [in a ceremony] with the participation of the first vice president of Iran and the prime minister of Iraq,” the road minister said.
Bazrpash expressed hope that the project would be completed in the shortest possible time.
It was agreed that the necessary lands around the Arvand River would be provided to Iran for the construction of the bridge, and the Iraqi side committed to expedite this process , he added.
According to Bazrpash, an agreement has been reached with Syria to establish rail connectivity with the country as well.
The Iranian minister stated that following today’s agreements and in the context of developing relations, a trilateral agreement between Iran, Iraq, and Syria will be put on the agenda.
Shalamcheh-Basra Railway marks a historical link as negotiations for a 32 km railway between Iran and Iraq have been ongoing for about 20 years.
Iraq’s prime minister on Saturday inaugurated construction work on what is slated to become the first railway line connecting the country to neighboring Iran, a major political and economic partner.
It is estimated that the project will take “between 18 and 24 months”.
The goal is to be able to transport “travelers from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Central Asian countries” to Shiite holy cities, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a speech.
He noted that the project had been under discussion for years before an agreement was reached in 2021.
During Saturday’s ceremony, Sudani laid a symbolic foundation stone alongside Iran’s first vice-president, Mohammad Mokhber.
Sudani thanked Tehran for planned demining operations at the border to clear the way for the train line and for a railway bridge over the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers converge before spilling into the Gulf.