By John Lee. Iraq completed 1,120 cross-border freight trips under the TIR transit system in September, with cargo moving from Turkey and Europe towards Gulf states and Jordan. According to the Ministry of Transport, the journeys were carried out by the General Company for Land Transport, a subsidiary of the ministry, and operated under formal […]
By John Lee. Iraq and Syria have agreed a package of measures to streamline truck transit and border crossing procedures, including an expansion of the Rabia crossing and the introduction of dedicated lanes for commercial traffic. The agreements were reached at a joint videoconference meeting attended by the Director General of the General Company for […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Transport has held discussions with Huawei and Uruk Engineering Services in China on the potential adoption of smart port technologies and digital logistics solutions. A ministry delegation attended the Huawei Connect 2026 exhibition in Shanghai and made a field visit to Tianjin Port to observe its smart port and […]
By John Lee. A second meeting of the Iraq-Egypt Joint Technical Committee for the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on freight and passenger transport has taken place in Baghdad. The Iraqi side was led by Karim al-Jabri, Director General of the Technical Department at the Ministry of Transport, while the Egyptian side was […]
By John Lee. An implementation mechanism for the pre-collection of customs duties has been finalised under Cabinet Decision No. 413 of 2026. Minister of Finance Faleh Sari chaired a meeting on Thursday to complete the mechanism, attended by Central Bank of Iraq Governor Nizar Nasser Hussein, Director General of the General Customs Authority Dr Thamer […]
By John Lee. Iraqi customs revenues are expected to reach 4 trillion dinars ($3.05 billion) by the end of 2025, up from around 800 billion dinars ($610 million) before the introduction of the ASYCUDA (Automated System for Customs Data) system in 2022. The director-general of the General Customs Authority, Thamer Qasim (pictured), attributed the rise […]
By John Lee. Iraq has proposed three strategic initiatives to strengthen transport continuity, trade flows, and supply chains across the Arab region, presented at the third virtual meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on 2nd September 2026. According to the Ministry of Transport, the initiatives were put forward […]
By John Lee. Iraq recorded 1,754 cross-border transit journeys under the TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) system in August, continuing a trend of growth in international road freight transit. Murtadha Karim al-Shahmani, Director General of the General Company for Land Transport, attributed the result to ongoing coordination between relevant authorities and the work of the company's […]
By John Lee. Iraq has launched the second phase of a project to develop commercial exchange yards at its land border crossings with neighbouring countries. According to the Ministry of Transport, the initiative is part of government efforts to increase non-oil revenues and strengthen governance and automation at border facilities. Murtada al-Shahmani, Director General of […]
By John Lee. A new framework requiring importers to pay customs duties and estimated tax deposits in advance is to take effect in Iraq from 1 October 2026, according to a decision by the Council of Ministers. Under the new rules, importers will be required to deposit foreign transfer amounts for import purposes with authorised […]
By John Lee. Iraqi trucks operated by the General Company for Land Transport have completed the first journey under the TIR transit system from the Arar border crossing to the Inche Burun border crossing on the Iran-Turkmenistan border. According to the Ministry of Transport, the operation was coordinated with relevant government, border, and customs authorities […]
By Tala Michel Issa, for Arabian Business. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. DP World Eyes Iraq, Jordan and Turkey Trade through Syria's $800m Tartous Port Overhaul DP World sees Syria's Port of Tartous becoming a logistics gateway to Iraq, Jordan, […]
