An Iraqi Official: No Agreement with Iran for Issuing 'Arbaeen Passport'; Iranian Official: It Was Unimaginable

Despite claims from Iranian officials, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Interior stated: "There is no agreement" with Iran for issuing a "special Arbaeen travel passport." The website "Shafaqna," affiliated with Ayatollah Ali Sistani, a Shiite authority residing in Najaf, reported that Major General Khalid Al-Muhanna, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, announced that "a special committee for organizing the passage of pilgrims" exists between the two parties, but no agreement has been made regarding the "Arbaeen passport." Following this opposition, the head of the Central Arbaeen Headquarters told the ISNA news agency that Iraq's opposition to the special Arbaeen passport was unimaginable for them, and they are now awaiting a response from Iraq. Majid Mirahmadi, who holds the position of Deputy for Security and Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Interior, emphasized: "We raised the printing of this passport last year with Mahdi Ali Hadi Al-Fakiki, advisor to the Iraqi Minister of Interior and head of the Arbaeen headquarters in that country, and he expressed his initial agreement." Previously, Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior of the Islamic Republic, announced the preparation of a "special" and "cheap" passport along with the cancellation of visas for "Arbaeen pilgrims" this year during a meeting with an Iraqi delegation in Tehran. The religious ceremony of "Arbaeen" occurs in the days leading up to the twentieth day of the lunar month of "Safar" and forty days after the tenth day of the month of "Muharram," known as "Ashura," in Iraq and along the routes leading to the city of "Karbala" and the tomb of the third Imam of the Shiites, conducted as "walking ceremonies" or holding side programs. Ali Zolghadr, head of the Immigration and Passport Police of the Islamic Republic, stated on June 1 that a meeting was held at the end of 1401 (2022) with the presence of "Iraqi officials" in which an agreement was reached for issuing a "special passport for the Arbaeen days" between the two countries. He acknowledged that this passport would be valid for "5 years" and is solely for "pilgrimage," stating that "currently" Iranian citizens can only use it during the period known as "Arbaeen." Given that the validity of Iranian passports is relatively low compared to many countries, Islamic Republic officials are announcing a timeline for registration and processing related to a new passport with lower validity called the "Arbaeen passport," which is intended only for the movement of Iranians to the two cities of Karbala and Najaf in Iraq, a matter that, according to the spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, has not been agreed upon. A police official reported; issuance of "special Arbaeen passports" with a validity of 5 years. Many users criticize the allocation of massive facilities for the "Arbaeen march" amid shortages.