Iran imposes traffic restrictions for Arbaeen pilgrimage

Deputy police chief Siawash Mohibi announced temporary traffic limits on major routes ahead of the Arbaeen pilgrimage, effective from Sunday 11 Mordad (early August 2026) until Saturday 17 Mordad. Motorcycles are banned on the Karaj‑Chalus, Haraz, Firuzkuh and Tehran‑Semnan‑Mashhad corridors, with exemptions for police and emergency vehicles. Restrictions also apply to trailers, trucks and certain one‑way sections, including a full closure of the Tehran‑North‑to‑Chalus highway at the Zanguleh bridge on Friday.

Pilgrims are moving in large numbers: more than 3.2 million have crossed Iran’s six main pilgrimage borders, and over 724 000 entered the country in the last 72 hours through the Mehran crossing. About 1 150 buses are operating at the Shahid Raisi terminal, transporting roughly 170 000 travelers, while additional bus fleets continue to arrive. Officials highlighted that the Khusrawi border is among the best equipped, and urged pilgrims to use all available border points to ease congestion. The Ministry of Interior’s deputy minister Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian praised the overall management and noted that around 1.1 million Iranian pilgrims remain in Iraq after the pilgrimage.