Iraq to allow entry to 500 Iranian trucks weekly
Iranian and Iraqi authorities signed an agreement that would allow 500 Iranian cargo trucks to enter the Arab country through Mandali border crossing every week, a local official said.
“An agreement between Iraq and Iran guarantees the entry of 500 Iranian trucks into Iraqi territory through the Mandali crossing, 95 km east of Baquba, two days per week, at an average of 250 trucks per day,” the director of Mandali region, Mazen alkhuzai, told Shafaq news agency.
Khuzai also noted that “poor preventive measures” against the coronavirus at the border indicate the need to adopt “a strict health plan,” and stressed the importance of “reviving the economy and employing thousands of workers at the port.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-kadhimi visited Mandali border crossing on Saturday and instructed the partial reopening of the border for trade exchange operations with Iran. It came after the Iraqi government decided in March to close all border crossings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Unofficial statistics show that the volume of trade between Iran and Iraq through land border crossings exceeds $12 billion annually.