The country's first Arbaeen border transport headquarters was inaugurated at the Mehran border crossing on Sunday in the presence of Deputy Interior Minister for Urban and Rural Development Masoud Nosrati.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Nosrati said the Mehran crossing accounts for more than 45 percent of all Arbaeen pilgrim traffic, making it the country's busiest and most important land gateway for pilgrims traveling to the holy shrines in Iraq.
Given the enormous volume of travelers, he said, upgrading the border's transportation infrastructure and facilities has become a top priority.
The deputy interior minister said the new headquarters has been established to serve as an integrated operational center for smart passenger flow management, efficient organization of transport fleets, and closer coordination among agencies responsible for moving Arbaeen pilgrims.
He added that transportation operations are distributed across Iran's seven border crossings with Iraq, noting that authorities have developed plans to establish sustainable transport capacity for the annual pilgrimage.
Nosrati said the new complex at the Mehran border has been built on a 30-hectare site and includes an administrative building and eight operational warehouses. He added that the first warehouse is now operational, while construction of the second has reached 30 percent completion.
The official also provided an update on transportation services for this year's pilgrimage, saying that more than 4.4 million pilgrims have so far been transported along routes leading to Iran's seven border crossings with Iraq.
Every year, millions of pilgrims from Iran and across the world travel to Iraq to commemorate Arbaeen, marking the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shiite Imam. The pilgrimage, centered on the holy city of Karbala, is regarded as one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world.