Iraq's Kermanshah consul says railway to Karbala and Najaf under discussion

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's consul general in Iran's Kermanshah province, Saadoun al-Saadi, said his country is preparing special arrangements at border crossings to facilitate the movement of visitors expected to attend commemorations for the late Iranian leader, with broader transport plans linking the two countries under discussion. During a meeting with the Kermanshah governor, al-Saadi said the proposed Kermanshah–Baghdad railway forms part of a wider rail connection between Iraq and Iran. According to the consul, the line is designed to ease cross-border travel and would extend into the central Iraqi holy cities of Karbala and Najaf. Al-Saadi also said he is in contact with the governor of Diyala province on the project, citing the province's economic significance. He explained that under the plan, the Khusravi border crossing would be linked through Munzuriyah and Baghdad into Iraq's main rail network, with the route reaching both Karbala and Najaf. The consul added that the project will be followed at a high level and that Iraq's religious authority will be informed because of its strategic importance. He described Kermanshah as a strategic city in bilateral relations and said cultural ties between the populations of eastern Iraq and western Iran strengthen cooperation between the two countries.