Land Transport Company: More than 5,000 transit operations passed through Iraqi territory
Land Transport Company: More than 5,000 transit operations passed through Iraqi territory
8-21-2026
The General Company for Land Transport, affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, announced more than 5,000 transit transport operations across Iraqi territory during the past year and a half. It noted that Iraqi trucks, for the first time, participated in transport operations under the International Transit Agreement (TIR), after previous transport operations within Iraq were carried out by foreign trucks. The Director General of the General Company for Land Transport, Murtadha Al-Shahmani, told the official news agency that “the Ministry of Transport, through its specialized departments, has made great efforts to organize transit transport operations and has achieved remarkable successes.” He explained that the number of transport operations carried out across Iraqi territory has exceeded 5,000 since March 2025 until now, all of which fall under the International Transit Agreement (TIR) established by the International Road Transport Union (IRU), in which more than 79 countries around the world participate, including Iraq.
He also explained that “Iraqi trucks carried out transport operations that started from Saudi territory through the Arar border crossing, heading to Central Asian countries,” stressing that “the success of this operation opens up promising economic prospects for Iraq, and provides an important national resource that the Ministry of Transport is working to develop in order to achieve the highest levels of benefit for the country.”
He added that “this file is of great interest to the Minister of Transport, Wahab Al-Hassani, and is among the priorities of the Ministry’s administration, as it is consistent with the goals of the government program aimed at diversifying the country’s resources and maximizing non-oil revenues,” noting that “the Ministry has expanded in concluding memoranda of understanding with a number of neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Iran and Turkey, with the aim of including Iraq within the corridors of international supply chains, and benefiting from its distinguished geographical location in this field.”
He also noted that “discussions are underway with a number of countries and relevant entities, including the Border Ports Authority, to conclude memoranda of understanding and agreements to enhance transit transport agreements,” adding that “a number of countries are seeking to sign joint cooperation agreements with Iraq, most notably Armenia, Poland, and several Gulf states.” He emphasized that “the Strategic Development Road project, once completed, will be the backbone for developing the cross-border transport sector and strengthening Iraq’s role in regional and international trade and supply chains.”
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