Iran reopens its borders with Iraq before pilgrims next week

The Iranian TV announced yesterday that Tehran will reopen next week its borders with Iraq before pilgrims who wish to visit the holy Shiite shrines in al-Najaf and Kerbala.

The deputy governor of Khozestan province in the south west of Iran Faramand Hashemi Zada said that the pilgrims will be able to cross the border with Iraq near the city of Basra next week after paying 11.5 million Riyal ( USD 120 to 180) per person. He added that Iranian officials are heading for Iraq to discuss border arrangements.

This is, however, not the first time in which Iran announces opening its border with Iraq, which were closed to pilgrims since the beginning of the war against Iraq.

However, the Iranian authorities are facing increasing pressures to permit pilgrims to visit the holy shrines in Iraq, amid report talking about the killing of pilgrims who tried to cross the borders to Iraq, illegally. Since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, some 183 Iranian were killed while trying to cross the borders into Iraq, illegally for performing al-Haj rituals.