Rouhani Says Shalamcheh-Basra Railway to Connect Iran to Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters)
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Rouhani Says Shalamcheh-Basra Railway to Connect Iran to Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has promised to connect Iran to Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean through the Shalamcheh-Basra railway.

"Iran's Khorramshahr, Abadan, and Shalamcheh are located in a very important strategic area," said Rouhani during a video conference on Thursday.

"Per the agreement made with the Iraqi government on connecting Shalamcheh to Basra, we will be able to witness a fundamental change in this region,” he added.

"This will be a very big change and Iran's railway will be connected to Iraq and Syria, and in fact to the Mediterranean, which is very important," Rouhani stressed.

During his visit to Damascus on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif announced opening a consulate in Aleppo, as approved by the Syrian President to improve trade and economic ties between both countries.

According to SANA news agency, the two figures discussed bilateral relations and the ongoing coordination and consultation at all levels. They further tackled means of bolstering joint cooperation in various fields to serve both countries’ interests.

Sources revealed that establishing a railway link from Iran to the Mediterranean falls under the recently signed MoU between Iran and China.

The deal encourages Chinese investments in free trade zones and railways, in addition to highway road construction.

It also seeks to establish a joint industrial or services project in the third world country in order to contribute to the reconstruction in the region, including that in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.



Fuel Truck Accident Kills at Least 17 People in Haiti

A man crosses a storm drain filled with trash in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A man crosses a storm drain filled with trash in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
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Fuel Truck Accident Kills at Least 17 People in Haiti

A man crosses a storm drain filled with trash in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A man crosses a storm drain filled with trash in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A tanker truck carrying gasoline in Haiti on Saturday flipped and exploded, killing at least 17 people and seriously injuring 30 others, Radio Caraibes reported.
Haiti’s hospitals are poorly equipped to treat victims of severe burns. The nation of 12 million people has also been struggling with fuel shortages, as fighting between gangs makes it more difficult to import goods into the country.
Saturday's accident happened in Miragoane, a city of 60,000 people that was hit by a strong earthquake three years ago.
In 2021, 75 people were killed in Haiti's second largest city Cap Haitien, when another fuel truck overturned and unleashed a fireball that swept through several homes and businesses that were built closely next to each other. Some of those killed were onlookers who had rushed to the truck to try and scoop up some of its cargo.