Train Traffic Between Iran and Turkey Resumes After Brief Suspension

The Director General of Border Affairs at the Ministry of Interior announced that freight train traffic between Iran and Turkey, which had been halted due to a bombing on this route since July 24, has resumed as of Wednesday, August 1. According to Fars News Agency, Majid Aghababayi stated on Friday, August 3, that the route has been repaired and freight train traffic between the two countries has been reestablished since the evening of August 1. Iranian officials reported that on the afternoon of Saturday, July 24, near the Iranian border, a remote-controlled bomb exploded while a Turkish freight train was in motion. As a result of this explosion, 'approximately 10 kilometers of the Turkish railway line were severed,' halting train movements between the two countries. In this context, the Van governorate has accused the PKK group of this bombing. According to IRNA, passenger train traffic on this route had been suspended due to intensified clashes between Turkish government forces and the PKK in the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey over the past year, but freight trains continue to operate 'to a limited extent' on this route. Following the coup attempt in Turkey, the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization issued a statement urging travel agencies to refrain from registering and sending tourists to this country until further notice and until security and calm are restored. However, ISNA reported on August 5 that tours to Turkey had resumed despite this notice from the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization.