Iraq Development Road

The Iraq Development Road () is an ongoing infrastructure project aiming to connect Asia with Europe by establishing a network of railways, roads, ports, and cities. It will link the Grand Faw Port in southern Iraq to Turkey's border and further extend into Europe.

Overview

Nicknamed the Dry Canal (), the project is expected to turn the country into a transit center by shortening travel time between Asia and Europe, in an attempt to compete with Egypt's Suez Canal. It is also expected to strengthen Iraq's geopolitical position in the region and the world. In addition, it will increase security and stability in the region. Observers and decision-makers note that the project is planned to be completed in three stages by 2028, 2033 and 2050 and will open Iraq to the world through Turkey, and will generate $4 billion annually and create at least 100,000 jobs. According to the World Bank, Iraq is gradually transitioning towards reconstruction and development, and the Development Road could "attract up to 14 million tons of international freight and 20 million tons of regional freight by 2040".

History

In March 2023, Iraq joined the TIR convention backed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, a significant landmark in facilitating the logistics of the Development Road, and Rami Karout, Senior Advisor for Middle East Affairs at the International Road Transport Union (IRU) stated: "The success of the raqDevelopment Road Project requires ensuring the security and safety of operations, which the TIR system provides through its advanced features, most notably the adoption of reliable operators according to strict international standards. Only approved companies are permitted to use the system, and violators are excluded."

In May 2023, Baghdad hosted a summit which brought together transport ministers and officials from the European Union, the World Bank, GCC, Iran, Turkey, Syria and Jordan to discuss the establishment of the Development Road initiative. During the summit, Iraqi officials noted that "Iraq has recovered and retrieved its pivotal political role in the region, becoming a political convergence point, the time has come for the country to retrieve its economic role".

In April 2024, and during a visit to Baghdad by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, quadrilateral memorandum of understanding regarding cooperation in Development Road project signed between Iraq, Turkey, Qatar and UAE. The deal was signed by the transportation ministers from each country. The 1,200-kilometer project with railway and highways which will connect the Great Faw Port, aimed to be the largest port in the Middle East. It is planned to be completed by 2025 to the Turkish border at an expected cost of $17 billion.

In July 2024, the Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced that it had signed a contract with consulting firm Oliver Wyman to conduct the economic model for the Development Road. The firm will help market the project, supervise investments, and provide economic advisory services for strategic government projects.

On 24 March 2025, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) announced that the TIR system was set to go fully operational in Iraq starting from 1 April 2025. The announcement came after successful pilot operations from Turkey’s Mersin to Iraq’s Umm Qasr Port. Notably, the pilot operations demonstrated that the aforementioned journey can be completed in less than one week, as opposed to a minimum of 14 days via the Red Sea or even up to 26 days via a reroute around the African continent. TIR’s Electronic Pre-Declaration (TIR-EPD) system will be integrated with Iraq’s URUK platform. IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said, “Trucks will seamlessly transit the country and proceed along corridors offering a high level of security, opening a new chapter for the country and its role in international trade", adding, “With transport times and costs set to be slashed across the country and region, this will be a historic moment for global trade and broader economic integration in the Middle East.” UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean noted, “The activation of the TIR system in Iraq will open up routes across the Middle East and make almost the entire Eurasian landmass – from China through Central Asia to Europe – TIR operational,” emphasising, “Most importantly, by ensuring greater connectivity between regional and international markets, it will help to boost trade and development.”

On 3 June 2025, IRU held an official ceremony in Baghdad for Iraq's accession to the TIR convention, during which Secretary-General de Pretto stated, "Iraq’s accession to the TIR Convention sends a powerful message that the country is open for business and is committed to operating in a safe and stable environment," adding that, "This initiative is not only important for the transport sector but also plays a vital role in Iraq’s broader economic development." In his final remarks, he highlighted that, "This new chapter for Iraq will revive and revamp the country’s ancient role as a key crossroads in regional and international trade." In an entirely inland trip, a shipment from Poland to the UAE via Turkey and Iraq was completed in only 12 days. According to the operator, had the aforementioned journey from Poland to UAE been conducted multimodally via the Red Sea, it would have taken 21 days. De Pretto concluded by saying, "Today, we are not merely launching a transit system. We are celebrating a new chapter in Iraq’s journey towards prosperity, connectivity and global relevance. The best chapters of Iraq’s history are still to be written."

On 25 June 2025, ''The Washington Post'' reported that the World Bank had approved to finance a $930 million project called the 'Iraq Railways Extension and Modernization Project' to rebuild the country’s outdated railway infrastructure, as well as to "improve services and increase freight capacity between the Umm Qasr Port ... to the northern city of Mosul". Jean-Christophe Carret, director of the World Bank's Middle East Division said: "As Iraq shifts from reconstruction to development, enhanced trade and connectivity can stimulate growth, create jobs, and reduce oil dependency." By 2037, the upgraded infrastructure is projected to carry 6.3 million tonnes of freight, 1.1 million tonnes of imports and exports, as well as 2.85 million passengers annually.

On 26 June 2025, Polish haulier and logistics company Milton Group announced that it had completed its first full round trip using Iraq’s TIR corridors, marking it a success first of its kind. The company also remarked that the trip, passing through Bulgaria, Türkiye, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia before reaching its final destination in the UAE, typically lasts around 24 days, however this time, courtesy to the new route through Iraq, it lasted only 10 days; representing a 58% reduction. IRU Secretary-General De Pretto said: "This marks only the beginning of what promises to be a landmark development for resilient regional connectivity across the Middle East via Iraq," emphasising that the Iraqi corridor "offers more flexibility and resilience for operators navigating regional uncertainty."

On 29 June 2025, the Iraqi Ministry of Communications (MoC) concluded the design for a project to provide telecommunications services for companies in the context of the Development Road. In a project nicknamed ''Civilizations Road'', MoC announced that it had signed a contract with Turkish state-owned Türk Telekom in order to integrate Iraq and Turkey within a single telecommunications network, facilitating the provision of unified services to international companies.

See also

* Grand Faw Port
* Berlin–Baghdad railway
* Iraq Development Fund

References

{{Reflist

Economy of Iraq
Iraq–Turkey relations
Proposed infrastructure in Iraq