Iran, Iraq discuss latest status of Shalamcheh-Basra railway

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged their views on the latest situation cooperation of Iran and Iraq on the construction operation of the Shalamcheh-Basra Railway project.

For the first time in 2011, Iran and Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the Shalamcheh-Basra Railway that was not put into force. Then, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Tehran and Baghdad in 2014 for the construction of the Shalamcheh-Basra Railway project.

As long as 32 kilometers, Shalamcheh-Basra Railway’s line is totally located in Iraqi land.

The width of the Arvand River (Shatt al-Arab) is 900 meters, in which the Islamic Republic of Iran has promised to build a bridge over the river.   

On the latest situation of the construction of Shalamcheh-Basra Railway, the Deputy Head of Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company for Railroad, Ports and Airports Expansion Abbas Khatibi stated, “Following the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister to Iran and his meeting with Iranian President, various issues were discussed and Iraqi delegation proposed visit of a specialized team from Iran to Iraq for discussing relevant issues."

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