Ministry of Intelligence Reports Arrest of 'Several Visa Forgery Networks for Iraq'

The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence has warned against the 'exploitation of citizens' emotions' on the eve of Arbaeen, announcing the identification and arrest of members of visa and manifest forgery networks for Iraq. Every year during the months of Muharram and Safar, especially leading up to Arbaeen, many Iranian citizens travel to sacred Shiite sites in Iraq to participate in mourning ceremonies. The governments of Iran and Iraq strive to ensure these travels are conducted within the usual visa frameworks between the two countries. In this context, in September of this year, the Iranian Ministry of Interior had warned that there would be no 'consular support' for citizens traveling to Iraq 'illegally and without a visa,' urging Iranian nationals to obtain visas through designated channels in various cities. However, the Ministry of Intelligence has now issued a statement published in domestic news sources, stating that it has identified and arrested 'several networks of document forgers' who have exploited people's beliefs and emotions to 'forge Iraqi visas, especially during Arbaeen.' This announcement did not provide details regarding the number of arrests or the cities where these arrests occurred, only noting that from these networks, 'a large number of visas, group manifests, and fake stamps' were discovered and seized, along with 'large quantities of fake visas issued for travel to Iraq during Arbaeen.' In September of this year, the Ministry of Interior also requested that Iranian citizens avoid individual travels to Iraq during Arbaeen and travel in 'caravans or quasi-caravans.' The Ministry of Intelligence has now urged Iranian citizens wishing to travel to Iraq to obtain visas from official channels and authorized companies introduced by the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization. The Arbaeen ceremony, commemorating the fortieth day after the martyrdom of the third Imam of Shiites in Karbala, will take place this year in late November. In recent years, this ceremony has witnessed millions of Shiite pilgrims from various countries, and last year, on the eve of Arbaeen, the Iranian Ministry of Interior announced that over 1.25 million visas had been issued for Iranian pilgrims wishing to attend the ceremony. However, last year, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior criticized Iranian officials for the influx of Iranian pilgrims crossing one of the borders without visas, resulting in clashes with border guards and damage to border barriers. At that time, a local Iraqi official told Reuters that the number of Iranians who illegally entered the country through the Zurbatiyah-Mahram border exceeded 'half a million.'