Issuance of 1.25 Million Visas for Participation in Arbaeen Ceremony in Iraq

The head of the Information Center of Iran's Ministry of Interior announced that by Wednesday evening, 1.25 million travel visas to Iraq for participation in the Arbaeen ceremony have been issued. According to ISNA news agency, Babak Dinparast stated on Thursday, December 5, that so far 696,749 people have traveled to Iraq for the Arbaeen ceremony. Meanwhile, Saeed Ohadi, head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, reported that the Iraqi government has agreed to extend the visa issuance period until December 9, stating that nearly 100,000 travel visas to Iraq are being issued daily. He also mentioned that about 1,000 Iranian pilgrims without visas have gathered in Mehran city and approximately 800 pilgrims without visas are also gathered at the Chazabeh and Shalamcheh borders. According to Mr. Ohadi, these pilgrims are requesting to obtain visas at the border, while it has been repeatedly stated that this option is not available at the borders. In recent days, officials from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran have warned Iranian pilgrims about illegal travel to Iraq. Meanwhile, according to Mehr news agency, Hassan Qashqavi, deputy foreign minister of Iran, stated on Thursday that 'entering Iraq without a visa can lead to up to six years in prison.' Hossein Zolfaqari, deputy security minister of Iran, also mentioned on Monday, December 2, that there have been 'agreements' to resolve the issue of 'Iranian nationals without documents' in Iraq, stating that last year, Iranians who lost their documents were arrested in Iraq. He said, 'We asked the Iraqi interior minister that if they encounter similar cases this year, those individuals should not be handed over to the Iraqi judiciary but should be quickly handed over to border guards so that the issue can be pursued that way.' He also reported the establishment of 'various layers of information and security' for the safety of Arbaeen pilgrims by the Iraqi government with the help of Iranian 'advisory' support. On Friday, December 21, 1993, coinciding with the Shiite pilgrimage for the Arbaeen ceremony in Iraq, six mortar explosions in the city of Karbala resulted in 'one death' and 'four injuries,' none of whom were Iranian. Iranian government officials have predicted that this year, two million Iranians will travel to Iraq for the Arbaeen ceremony. According to officials from Iran's Ministry of Interior, in 1993, more than 1.5 million Iranians traveled to Iraq for the Arbaeen ceremony. Reports indicate that last year, 17 to 20 million Shiite pilgrims traveled to Iraq for this ceremony. The Arbaeen ceremony is held annually on the fortieth day after the martyrdom of the third Imam of Shiites in the plains of Karbala and is one of the most crowded Islamic religious ceremonies belonging to Shiites.