ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq will open two border crossings with Iran and Saudi Arabia, officials said Thursday, in a move aimed at improving the country's position as a regional trade hub between Gulf neighbors.

“After obtaining the approval of the Prime Minister [Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani] and the advisory committee at the Border Ports Commission, work will begin on opening the Jilat border crossing between Iraq and Iran,” Ali Saadoun al-Lami, a member of parliament from Maysan province, told state media. 

Lami noted that “the crossing is distinguished by its strategic location, as it is only 30 kilometers from the border and is located in Ali al-Gharbi district north of Maysan province.”

Maysan province is located on the border of Iran, southeast of Iraq, nearly 400 kilometers away from Baghdad.

Lami said the Jilat crossing would give Maysan province a major economic boost, as its closeness to the Iranian city of Ilam would ease the movement of people and goods compared with longer, more difficult routes.

Separately, Border Ports Commission spokesperson Alaa al-Din al-Qaisi said the council had voted to complete procedures for opening the al-Uwayqila crossing with Saudi Arabia and the Jilat crossing with Iran, a step he said would strengthen Iraq’s regional standing and expand economic cooperation with neighboring states.

Iraq shares extensive land borders with both Iran and Saudi Arabia, which are strategically and economically important. The Iraq-Iran border stretches approximately 1,458 kilometers from the Shatt al-Arab waterway in the south to the mountains in the north, crossing provinces such as Basra, Maysan, Wasit, and Diyala, as well as Sulaimani in the Kurdistan Region. 

The Iraq-Saudi Arabia border runs about 811 kilometers through mostly desert areas in southern Iraq, including Anbar and Najaf provinces. These borders are vital for trade, travel, and regional security, and the opening of new crossings aims to strengthen economic links with both neighbors.