“Khosravi is the only Iran-Iraq joint border which leads passengers directly to Baghdad,” Bazvand said, according to Mehr.

“This is an advantage … but due to the recent unrest in the Iraqi capital, a new road has been selected to replace the route to Baghdad from Khosravi border, security of which is to be provided by Hashd al-Shaabi,” he explained.

“From Khosravi border, the selected road goes to Najaf and then to Karbala,” he added. So the security of Khosravi border is of priority.

Arbaeen, which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam, Imam Hussein (PBUH).

Each year, millions of Shias visit Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein is located, to perform mourning rites.

Last year, two and half a million Iranian pilgrims participated in the Arbaeen pilgrimage but the figure is expected to reach three and a half to four million this year, given the fact that visa requirements for Iranians have been lifted.

In recent days, several Iraqi cities have seen days of violent protests and deadly clashes with security forces.

The demonstrations, which began on Tuesday, were largely peaceful during the first hours but later turned chaotic and are now making headlines around the world.

Many demonstrators say they can no longer bear problems like chronic corruption, high youth unemployment, and poor public services. They are demanding the government take action immediately.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced a curfew on Thursday.

Iraqi authorities lifted the curfew days later as normalcy returned to the streets of the country’s capital.

Reuters reported on Saturday that traffic ran as usual in Baghdad, with streets and main squares being otherwise quite.

Tehran says foreign hands are seeking to destabilize Iraq.

“Foreign evil hands which have been behind making #Iraq insecure for years, are now seeking to destabilize Iraq in another way,” Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a senior foreign policy adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker, tweeted on Friday.

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Every year Shia Muslims from across the globe came into Iraq to commemorate the 40th day after Ashura. Pilgrims travel miles on foot to reach the shrine of Imam Hussain in Karbala. Providing security for a dozen million people who attend the ceremony is achieved by cooperation between different Iranian Armed Forces, such IRGC, police, with Iraqi security bodies.

Capabilities of forces for increasing Arbaeen security grows by the day, highlighted Fadavi.

According to reports, some 14 million pilgrims took part in the March of Arbaeen last year, 2.35 million of which were Iranian pilgrims.

The trek symbolizes of a peaceful utopia where no one is hungry or homeless. People are giving away free food and drinks, offering their houses to the pilgrims, and pilgrims themselves are treating one another as brothers and selflessly regardless of their social class, race, color, religion, etc.

Thousands of Mawkibs (voluntarily prepared stations providing pilgrims with free food and place to rest) , stalls providing free of charge foods, beverages, accommodation, and medicines, are set up along the way to Karbala and the holy shrines as many believe that taking care of pilgrims of Imam Hossein (AS) and serving them is a religious duty.

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