Iran, Iraq and Syria confirmed on April 14, 2019 their intention to launch a regional railway project to link the Iranian port of Khorramshahr, in the northern Arabian-Persian Gulf, to the Syrian coast in the Mediterranean, passing through Iraq.

The initial decision on the project was taken in 2010 within the framework of the regional common market in place at the time, but its implementation was interrupted by the war which led to the dissolution of the regional common market and the eventual destruction of the Syrian side of the railway by the so-called “Free Syrian Army”.

In order for the three sovereign nations to exercize their right to realize this project they will have to overcome United States sanctions currently in force against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic.

The existence of an extended railroad connecting Iran, Iraq and Syria would permit intensive industrial, agricultural and commercial exchanges. It is estimated that in the first 5 years, this railway connection would not only quadruple trade between the three countries involved but also save communities currently threatened by starvation.