Dozens of Iranians crossed into northern Iraq via the Haji Omeran crossing after it reopened, seeking cheaper groceries, internet access, jobs, and ways to contact relatives. Travellers cited airstrikes and rising food prices in Iran. Officials said the closure had followed regional military tensions, making Iraqi Kurdistan a key civilian lifeline.
International
-Sathish Raman
Dozens of Iranians crossed into northern Iraq on Sunday after a key border reopened. Travellers said war and inflation had made daily life harder in Iran. Many arrived to buy cheaper food, use the internet, contact relatives, or seek work. Trucks also moved through the Haji Omeran crossing from Iraq’s Kurdish region.
Dozens of Iranians crossed into northern Iraq via the Haji Omeran crossing after it reopened, seeking cheaper groceries, internet access, jobs, and ways to contact relatives. Travellers cited airstrikes and rising food prices in Iran. Officials said the closure had followed regional military tensions, making Iraqi Kurdistan a key civilian lifeline.
The crossing had been shut as regional military tensions rose. Iraqi Kurdish officials waited for Iran to reopen the route. Travellers said Iraqi Kurdistan now served as a main route to services and supplies. “When this border was closed, it affected everyone. Poor people, rich people, workers,\” said Khider Chomani.
Iran Iraq border crossing at Haji Omeran reopens
Cross-border travel was common even before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran. Iranian Kurds often moved between the two Kurdish regions for trade and family visits. The frontier stayed porous in many areas, which supported local commerce. With fighting under way, travellers said these links became more vital for survival.
Several Iranian Kurds spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fears of reprisals. They alleged Iranian intelligence monitored people who spoke to journalists. Some said military bases, intelligence offices, and other security sites had been destroyed. They also said bombardment limited security force movements across parts of the region.
Iran internet outages drive travel across Iran Iraq border
A Kurdish woman from Piranshahr said the trip was about communication and essentials. She travelled 15 km to the border on Sunday. \”I came here to make a phone call. In most of Iran there is no internet,\” she said. \”For more than 16 days my relatives havent heard from me, and they are worried about me.\”
The woman said many people bought Iraqi SIM cards near the frontier. She planned to send updates to relatives abroad. She also went to a market near the crossing to buy food. She said items like rice and cooking oil cost far less than in Piranshahr. Wartime inflation had made staples unaffordable.
\”The situation In Iran is terrible. People dont feel safe, things are expensive, people dont want to leave their homes,\” she said. About a half-hour later, she returned to Iran with two plastic bags. She said her children were waiting at home. Rain fell steadily as travellers moved between checkpoints.
Iranian workers use Iran Iraq border to find jobs
In one taxi, Iranian workers from three cities rode back to jobs in Iraq’s Kurdish region. They said they worked for the same construction company. The men planned to remain for a month to earn enough money. They said rising prices in Iran had pushed them to take short-term work across the border.
\”The situation will only become worse and civilians will be the only ones affected,\” one worker said. \”We left our kids and wives just to come and work here and make some money, otherwise we would not have left them alone.\” Others described similar decisions made since airstrikes began.
An Iranian Kurdish house painter from Urmia said bombardment had become constant. The painter worked in Irbil and had returned home briefly. The trip came after his mother feared explosions. He said he reassured her the family had no ties to Iranian authorities. He then travelled back for work in Iraq.
Iran airstrikes and security sites affect border communities
Some residents living near sites used by Iranian authorities said they moved away for safety. Another Iranian Kurdish worker at a metal factory urged family in Urmia to relocate. The worker’s wife and three children arrived on Sunday. They rested at a roadside restaurant after crossing, before heading onward in Iraq’s Kurdish region.
The metal worker said repeated strikes changed how security forces operated. \”They dont stay in their offices,\” he said. \”They stay in their cars, under bridges, in schools and hospitals. They drive around. Their bases are destroyed.\” Others reported similar claims about damaged facilities and staff avoiding fixed locations.
Separate from workers and shoppers, an elderly woman crossed alone in heavy rain. The woman said she travelled from Sardasht in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province. The woman aimed to reach Choman, about 40 km from the border. She said she hoped to find distant relatives there and ask for help.
The woman said her son, a cross-border goods smuggler, was shot and killed 14 months ago. She said Iranian soldiers killed him. She described smuggling as a common livelihood near the frontier. She said his death left the family without income, with three children to support. The eldest was five.
With food prices rising, the woman said she struggled to feed the children. She said she was two months behind on rent. She owed about $200, she added. \”I dont have anyone there to help me survive,\” she said. She said the war raised prices further and made survival harder.
\”I am powerless, but the kids are hungry and I must do my best for them,\” she said. She had not been able to call ahead. She waited in the rain for a passing car to offer a lift. Nearby, trucks continued moving goods through Haji Omeran as the crossing resumed activity.
The reopened route brought quick movement of people and supplies between the two Kurdish regions. Travellers described internet outages, high prices, and safety fears inside Iran. Workers said they relied on short jobs in Iraq’s Kurdish region. Others crossed for food or family contact, showing how the border shaped daily choices during war.
With inputs from PTI
