2026-07-27T12:07:07+00:00
Shafaq News- Erbil
Passenger traffic at the Haji Omran border crossing between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Iran is rising as Arbaeen pilgrims make their way through, while freight and commercial exchange have fallen sharply due to regional tensions and security concerns.
Rahman Khalil, an Iranian truck driver, told Shafaq News that “Cargo and truck traffic is no longer what it was,” adding that drivers are now making only two or three trips to the crossing per week depending on available loads.
Another Iraqi Kurdistan driver, Mirkhan Abbas, said that most incoming loads from the Iranian side are now limited to construction materials such as iron and ceramics, while food imports have fallen sharply. US-Iran tensions have directly reduced the volume of trade, he said, cutting truck trips to roughly six or seven per month. Iraqi drivers, he added, are restricted to exchange yards behind the border wire and are not permitted to enter Iranian territory.
On the passenger side, travelers including Noura Tasou and a visitor from the Iranian city of Piranshahr said crossings were proceeding smoothly with no congestion recorded on either the Iraqi or Iranian side, and that daily life and markets in the border areas were continuing normally despite the broader tensions.
Source: Shafaq News
