More than 1.1 million Arbaeen pilgrim crossings recorded at Iran's land borders, with 659,000 still in Iraq

Iran's Road Maintenance and Transportation Organisation said that between 16 July and 25 July 2026 (25 Tir to 3 Mordad 1405), 886,775 pilgrims left the country through land borders bound for the shrine cities of Iraq. Over the same period, 226,911 pilgrims re-entered Iran through the Arbaeen border crossings on their return journeys, bringing total pilgrim crossings to more than 1,100,000.

Based on these figures, by the end of the tenth day of the Arbaeen travel programme, 659,864 pilgrims were still in Iraq and had not yet returned to Iran.

According to the organisation, the Shahid Soleimani (Mehran), Shalamcheh and Khosravi crossings were the busiest routes for pilgrims leaving the country, in that order. On return journeys, the Shalamcheh, Shahid Soleimani (Mehran) and Chazzabeh crossings saw the heaviest traffic. Pilgrim movement on this scale generates substantial annual demand for road and rail transport and for border services.