Iran launches its first direct bus lines from five cities to Najaf for Arbaeen

Mehdi Gholizad, spokesperson for the Arbaeen headquarters of Iran's Road Maintenance and Transportation Organisation, said on Sunday 2 August 2026 that direct bus lines have been launched for the first time from Tehran, Qom, Isfahan, Tabriz and, as of the previous day, Urmia to the Iraqi city of Najaf. In past years, he said, only limited use was made of neighbouring countries' fleets for direct routes to the shrine cities.

Gholizad said the measure was arranged with several bodies including the foreign ministry and within the framework of consular agreements, and that 250 direct services have been launched on these routes and are now carrying pilgrims.

About 95 percent of Arbaeen pilgrim movement is by road, he said, of which roughly 17 percent uses the public transport fleet and the rest private vehicles. Data from the organisation's intelligent systems showed that about 2,750,000 people had left the country by the end of Saturday 1 August 2026. He also cited the widening and safety upgrading of routes leading to the borders, the modernisation of border terminals and the preparation of service complexes ahead of the Arbaeen operation.