Iranian Arbaeen pilgrims can travel to Iraq only by air

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iranian pilgrims going to Iraq for Arbaeen rituals can only travel to the Arab country by air, an official said.

Hossein Zolfaqari, the head of the Arbaeen Headquarters, said no pilgrims will be allowed through land border crossings into Iraq this year.

However, they can return to the country via Mehran border crossing if they want to, he said.

Zolfaqari also said that based on the agreements between the two countries, 60,000 Iranians can take part in the upcoming Arbaeen rituals in Iraq.

The pilgrims need to have injected two doses of the coronavirus vaccine and have the mandatory COVID-19 negative test, he added.

Arbaeen, which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam, Imam Hussein (AS).

Each year, a huge crowd of Shias flock to the Iraqi city of Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Baghdad decided to bar all foreign pilgrims from visiting Iraq for last year’s Arbaeen.

This year, it has allowed the participation of a limited number of foreign pilgrims in the religious event.

Arbaeen falls on September 27 this year.

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