“2.3 million Iranians visit Iraq annually without taking into account the millions of Iranian pilgrims who travel to Iraq for Arbaeen rituals,” Hamid Mohammadi told Mehr News Agency correspondent on Tuesday.

Mohammadi said that there is no agreement on exchange of pilgrims between the Iranian and Iraqi officials so far, adding that a working team has been formed in coordination with Iraqi Hajj Ministry to reach an accord on governing the issues of pilgrims and tourists in both countries.

Referring to the complaints made by Iranian pilgrims about the low-quality of Iraqi hotels and residential complexes in Iraqi holy cities, the head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said that “Cities like Najaf have very poor infrastructure that is why the quality of its hotels is not comparable to Karbala… we know this, but we are trying to improve the situation for the Iranian pilgrims,” he added.

Source: Shafaqna