Iranians cross into Iraq for cheaper food, work after border reopens
Dozens of Iranians crossed into northern Iraq on Sunday - the first day the border had opened since war struck their country - to buy cheaper groceries, access the internet, contact relatives and find work.
Travellers said constant airstrikes and soaring food prices have made life in Iran increasingly desperate.
Trucks laden with goods snaked through the Haji Omeran crossing from Iraq’s Kurdish region, offering a hoped-for respite from high costs on the Iranian side. Even before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran, Iranian Kurds routinely crossed into Iraqi Kurdistan, sharing deep familial, cultural and economic ties and porous borders that enable steady trade and regular visits. Now Iraq’s Kurdish region has become a crucial lifeline for Iranians in the war-torn region to reach the outside world. “When this border was closed, it affected everyone. Poor people, rich people, workers,” said Khider Chomani, a truck driver on his way to Iran carrying goods.
The border was closed in response to heightened regional military tensions. Iraqi Kurdish authorities have been waiting for their Iranian counterparts to reopen the crossing.
Almost all Iranian Kurds interviewed by The Associated Press asked to remain anonymous, saying they feared for their safety and reprisals from Iranian intelligence, which they allege monitors anyone who speaks to the media.
