Alwaght- Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has said that so far over 3 million Iranians have crossed the border into Iraq to join the annual mourning ceremony marking the Arbaeen.
He added that around 1.45 million have returned home from the neighboring country.
"The movement is smooth and the pilgrims are moving comfortably in the six border crossings," said Vahidi.
Vahidi pointed to the infrastructure established to address the large-scale cermoney, saying that just in Khuzestan, a border province hosting two of six border crossings, 1,000 mawkebs— or roadside service stations— were set up to provide services to people.
"We are seeing a new wave of pilgrims heading to the holy city of Karbala as we are nearing the Arbaeen day," he maintained, adding: "Arrangements are being made for a comfortable cermoney."
He added that the speed of transferring pilgrims at the borders is very good. In addition to the buses that transport pilgrims, many trains have also been prepared for the transportation of pilgrims. 16 trains have been prepared from Khorramshahr to Tehran, Mashhad, and Zahedan.
Pilgrims from other countries, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan also cross Iran's eastern borders en route to Iraq.
The pilgrimage is expected to reach its climactic point on September 17, the day of Arbaeen.
Arbaeen congregation is an annual ceremony marking forty days after martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.
Every year, millions of pilgrims from inside Iraq and outside it gather in the holy city of Karbala to mark the day.
