ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi trucks have successfully completed their first international journey under the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) system, traveling from its southmost border crossing to Turkmenistan, Iraq's general company for land transport announced on Sunday, marking another step in Baghdad’s expansion of regional trade routes.
The state-owned company, affiliated with Iraq’s Ministry of Transport, said the operation from Arar, bordering Saudi Arabia, was carried out in "coordination and follow-up with the relevant government, border, and customs authorities via the Ministry of Transport’s point of contact with the International Road Transport Union (IRU),” director general of Iraq's general company for land transport said in a statement carried by state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).
“This step is part of the Ministry of Transport's ongoing efforts to develop the international land transport system, activate the TIR system, and facilitate cross-border trade movement,” he said, adding that it supports “Iraq's position as a vital trade corridor connecting the Arabian Gulf with regional countries and Central Asia.”
The TIR system, the world's most widely utilized international customs transit mechanism, is employed by more than 78 contracting parties, including the European Union. It allows goods to move across international borders in sealed vehicles under a single customs document, reducing border inspections, delays and transport costs.
This comes as Iraq is ramping up the development of alternative transport infrastructure and economic corridors to bolster international trade, a move that has gained considerable significance following the US-Iran war in late February and subsequent disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz, which dealt a critical blow to Iraq’s trade and energy links.
Shahmani described the journey as an important milestone for Iraq’s transport sector, saying it “represents an expansion in the utilization of the Iraqi transport fleet within international transport operations under the TIR system.”
The operation also makes use of a “leasing mechanism” that provides greater flexibility and efficiency in transport services and “enhances the competitiveness of Iraqi carriers and opens new horizons for Iraqi transport companies to access regional and international markets and trade corridors.”
The transport official observed the move as part of broader government efforts to strengthen Iraq’s international land transport network and facilitate cross-border commerce and“ensured the streamlining of procedures and the application of TIR system requirements throughout the journey's route.”
Iraq reactivated the TIR agreement in 2025 after a hiatus of around four decades.
Iraqi officials have previously said the reactivation of the TIR system could reduce transport times by around 80 percent and lower costs by approximately 38 percent, while supporting the government's $17 billion Development Road Project linking the Gulf port of Faw to Turkey through a network of highways and railways.
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