Middle East countries take steps to control coronavirus outbreak

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Above, people wearing protective masks shop at a pharmacy in Tehran on February 24, 2020. (AFP)
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Updated 28 February 2020
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Middle East countries take steps to control coronavirus outbreak

  • Indonesia urges Saudi Arabia to allow its citizens to continue their Umrah pilgrimage
  • Dubai carrier Emirates issues travel advisory for Umrah passengers

DUBAI: Countries in the Middle East are taking extraordinary steps to protect their citizens and residents from the growing coronavirus outbreak, with most infections originating from Iran which is a pilgrimage destination for Shiite Muslims.

19:40 - Oman's health ministry announced a new case of coronavirus bringing the number of people infected to six. 

19:35 - State-owned Kuwait Oil Company said on Thursday that it has suspended all domestic and foreign official missions and training programmes for its employees until further notice, as coronavirus spreads in the Middle East.

 Kuwait now has 43 confirmed cases of coronavirus, a health ministry official said.




A man wears protective face mask, following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Kuwait, February 25, 2020. Picture taken February 25, 2020. (Reuters)

19:16 - France now has 38 confirmed cases of coronavirus and is ready for an epidemic with 138 medical facilities prepared, the country's health minister said. 

18:00 - Kuwait's army has suspend studies at military colleges and schools for two weeks starting from Mar.1 over coronavirus concerns. 




A man wears protective masks in Kuwait City on February 27, 2020 amidst a world epidemic of cononavirus COVID-19. (AFP)

17:45 - Three further deaths have been reported in northern Italy bringing the death toll to 17.




Tourists, wearing face masks, pose for a selfie in front of a Versace shop window in downtown Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP)

17:15 - The United Arab Emirates has suspended passenger ferry services with Iran until further notice over coronavirus fears, Emirates News Agency (WAM) said.
The UAE has also obliged all commercial ships coming to the country to provide a statement on the health status of their crews 72 hours before arrival to help prevent the spread of the virus. 

17:04 - The UAE's health ministry said six more people have been infected with coronavirus in the country and that four of them are Chinese nationals. 

16:00 - The UAE's health ministry announced the recovery of two Chinese nationals who had been infected with coronavrius.

15:00 - UAE nationals and citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations will not be able to use a national identity card to travel to and from the Emirates for the time being, the country announced. 

14:15 - “Coronavirus came unseen and undetected into Iran and the extent of the infection may be broader than we think,” said the executive director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme Dr Michael Ryan. 

14:00 - Kuwait called on its citizens to avoid traveling abroad unless absolutely necessary as coronavirus fears mount. 

13:15 - Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that it continues to supervise the provision of services to Umrah pilgrims in the Kingdom to ensure that they complete their rituals with ease and leave for their countries safely.

Earlier on Thursday, the Kingdom suspended arrivals by foreigners for the Umrah pilgrimage and tourists from two dozen countries where the new coronavirus has spread, as a growing number of cases globally deepened fears of a pandemic.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the suspensions were temporary but provided no timeframe. Entry is also suspended for visits to the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.
"Protecting the pilgrims ... and the sacred sites from the arrival of this disease is very important," Health Ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdelali said after government officials met to discuss preventative measures.
"Saudi Arabia feels a sense of responsibility, therefore we took these temporary decisions which will constantly be reviewed."




Muslim pilgrims wear protective face masks at the Grand mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 27, 2020. (Reuters)

13:03 – Iran has banned Chinese citizens from entering the country, IRNA state news agency reported.

11:42 – Indonesia’s foreign minister on Thursday urged Saudi Arabia to allow its citizens to continue their Umrah pilgrimage after hundreds were stranded at Jakarta airport when the Kingdom suspended foreign entry for the Umrah over coronavirus concerns.
Indonesia is the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country and it often sends around 1 million people on the Umrah pilgrimage every year in the kingdom, which hosts the two holiest sites of Islam in Makkah and Medina.




Umrah pilgrims pile up at Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo, East Java province on February 27, 2020 after Saudi Arabia suspended visas for visits to Islam’s holiest sites. (AFP)

10:59 – A Saudi health ministry spokesman said there had been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Kingdom.

10:31 –The death toll in Iran from coronavirus reached 26, with 245 confirmed cases as of Thursday, state TV Al-Alam reported. There has been 106 confirmed cases in the last 24 hours, the report added. Iran’s health ministry meanwhile said that cultural events, conferences, cinemas closure was extended for one more week, as authorities called on people to avoid unnecessary trips inside the country.




Above, a street vendor sells protective masks in Tehran. The government called on people to avoid unnecessary trips inside the country. (AFP)

10:02Dubai airline Emirates said it would no longer carry to Saudi Arabia passengers with Umrah pilgrimage visas or tourists from nearly two dozen countries until further notice, in compliance with a Saudi government directive to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The ban takes effect on Thursday.

Holders of Saudi tourist visas traveling from China, Japan, Italy, Iran, India, Pakistan and a number of other countries will be barred from boarding Emirates flights with Saudi Arabia as the final destination, the airline said on its website.




Emirates said it would no longer carry to Saudi Arabia passengers with Umrah pilgrimage visas or tourists from nearly two dozen countries until further notice. (AFP)

09:46 – The head of the Iranian National Security Committee announced that he was infected with coronavirus.

08:45 – Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior has temporarily suspended the use of GCC national identity cards for travel to and from the country.

06:27 – Twenty two people have died so far from the new coronavirus in Iran, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported in a chart it published on Thursday. The number of people diagnosed with the disease is 141, the chart showed. It did not specify whether those who have died were included in the tally of those infected. Iranian officials on Wednesday reported a total of 139 cases of coronavirus and 19 deaths.

06:20 – The Kuwait health ministry reported 43 confirmed coronavirus cases, and all of the patients have traveled from Iran. Health officials also said that infectious disease specialist teams have been formed to deal with coronavirus patients, who have been been isolated and in the process of recovery. “We are monitoring all those who have been in contact with coronavirus patients,” the officials added, and hotlines have been set up to receive reports of possible coronavirus case.




The Kuwait health ministry reported 43 confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday. (AFP)

04:57 – Iraq has confirmed its sixth case of coronavirus, in a young Iraqi man in Baghdad who had traveled from Iran, the health ministry said.

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04:24 – In Oman, budget airline SalamAir said it will operate a special flight from Muscat to Shiraz. “SalamAir announces the operation of a special flight, Muscat-Shiraz-Muscat, on Thursday, 27th February 2020, to return the stranded citizens and residents.”


Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020

21:20 – Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain issued a statement announcing the suspension all flights to and from the Iraq and Lebanon until further notice. It separately extended a 48-hour ban over flights from Dubai and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.




A bus conductor wearing a surgical mask stands in front of a bus station in the Bahraini capital Manama on February 26, 2020. (AFP)


19:59 – Kuwait Airways said it will operate a special flight on Thursday to evacuate nationals from Italy’s Milan after confirming deaths of some cases infected with the new coronavirus there.




Vendors, wearing protective masks, sit outside their shop in Kuwait City on February 26, 2020. (AFP)


19:08 – The Kuwaiti Cabinet announced the suspension of all government and private schools, colleges, universities and military colleges and Awqaf and Islamic Affairs educational centers from March 1, 2020 until March 12, 2020.

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020


Lebanese army seizes Captagon pills, equipment at Syrian border

Updated 05 May 2025
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Lebanese army seizes Captagon pills, equipment at Syrian border

CAIRO: The Lebanese Army seized large quantities of Captagon pills in a raid on a manufacturing plant on the Lebanese-Syrian border, the Lebanese News Agency reported on Monday. 

An army unit, supported by a patrol from the Directorate of Intelligence, seized large quantities of pills in addition to equipment for producing Captagon, along with raw materials used in drug manufacturing. 


Israel approves Gaza ‘conquest’ plan, eyes expanded offensive and civilian relocation

Updated 11 min 28 sec ago
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Israel approves Gaza ‘conquest’ plan, eyes expanded offensive and civilian relocation

  • Netanyahu continues to promotes Trump’s plan for the voluntary departure of Gazans
  • Israel already controls about half of Gaza, including a border buffer zone and key corridors, forcing Palestinians into increasingly crowded area
  • Earlier on Monday, Gaza’s civil defense agency said two Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people
  • Israel’s security cabinet approved the possibility of humanitarian distribution in Gaza

TEL AVIV/GAZA STRIP: Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ramp up the war against Hamas in Gaza, an official said, with plans to capture more territory in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave and call up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.

An Israeli political source told AFP that Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan that includes the “conquest” of the Gaza Strip and continued promotion of emigration for Gazans. The source said the plan entails "the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection," adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “continues to promote” US President Donald Trump’s plan for the voluntary departure of Gazans.

The plan, which the official said would be gradual, could mark a significant escalation in the fighting, which resumed in mid-March after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on extending an eight-week truce. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

On Sunday, Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and would “operate in additional areas” in Gaza while continuing to strike militant infrastructure.

Israel already controls roughly half of Gaza’s territory, including a buffer zone along the border and three east-west corridors across the Strip, squeezing war-weary Palestinians into ever smaller and more densely populated pockets of land.

For weeks, Israel has sought to pressure Hamas into showing greater flexibility in ceasefire negotiations. In early March, it halted the entry of humanitarian aid — a ban that remains in place and has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis. Hunger is widespread, and desperation has fueled looting and civil unrest.

Israeli Airstrikes

Earlier on Monday, Gaza’s civil defense agency said two Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people in the territory’s north. “Our teams found 15 martyrs and 10 wounded, mostly children and women, after an Israeli strike on three apartments” northwest of Gaza City, said agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal. Four more were killed in a strike on a house in Beit Lahiya, he added.

Since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, more than 2,600 people — many women and children — have been killed, according to local health officials. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, though roughly 35 are believed to be dead.

The war has displaced more than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and turned large swaths of the enclave into a devastated moonscape. According to Palestinian health officials, over 52,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive, though their count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Humanitarian Distribution

Later in the day, Israel’s security cabinet also approved the “possibility of humanitarian distribution” in Gaza, which has been under Israeli blockade for over two months. “The cabinet approved by a large majority the possibility of a humanitarian distribution, if necessary, to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities,” the political source told AFP. “During the cabinet discussion, it was mentioned that there is currently enough food in Gaza,” the source added.

The previous ceasefire had been expected to lead to negotiations toward ending the war, but those talks have repeatedly broken down over disagreements about the final outcome. Israel insists the war will continue until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas has demanded a permanent ceasefire as part of any deal.


Yemen’s Houthis blame US for fresh strikes

Updated 57 min 49 sec ago
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Yemen’s Houthis blame US for fresh strikes

  • The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they act in solidarity with Palestinians

SANAA: Yemen’s Houthis on Monday blamed Washington for around 10 strikes in and around the capital Sanaa, as the United States pursues its campaign against the Iran-backed force.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency said two US strikes had targeted Arbaeen street in the capital, another the airport road, having earlier reported two strikes it blamed on “American aggression” and a series of prior bombardments on Sanaa.
The Houthi administration’s health ministry said 14 people were wounded in the Sawan neighborhood, according to Saba.
An AFP journalist heard loud explosions in the capital, which has been controlled by the Houthis since 2014.
The bombardment follows a Houthi strike against Washington’s ally Israel, which hit the perimeter of the country’s main airport on Sunday.
Eight people were wounded in US strikes on Sanaa in late April, according to the Houthis, who also reported strikes in other parts of the country, including their stronghold Saada in the north.
The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they act in solidarity with Palestinians.
The Houthis had paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire in the Gaza war.
But in March, they threatened to resume attacks on international shipping over Israel’s aid blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The move triggered a response from the US military, which began hammering the Houthis with near-daily air strikes starting March 15 in a bid to keep them from threatening shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
US strikes on the Houthis began under former president Joe Biden, but intensified under his successor Donald Trump.
Since March, the United States says it has struck more than 1,000 targets in Yemen.
 

 


Sultan of Oman reaffirms strong ties during visit to Algeria

Updated 50 min 13 sec ago
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Sultan of Oman reaffirms strong ties during visit to Algeria

  • The Omani leader is on a 2-day visit to Algeria
  • Delegation includes foreign, defense ministers

LONDON: Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik met Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday to discuss fraternal ties between their nations.

At the sultan’s residence in the capital, Algiers, the leaders affirmed their commitment to enhancing relations to benefit their countries, the Oman News Agency reported.

The Omani leader is on a two-day visit to Algeria. On Sunday, Tebboune received him at Houari Boumediene International Airport amid an official reception.

Several ministers and officials in the Omani delegation include Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al-Said, deputy prime minister for defense affairs, and Sayyid Badr Hamad Al-Busaidi, minister of foreign affairs.


Can Iraq’s Development Road project become its gateway to prosperity?

Updated 05 May 2025
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Can Iraq’s Development Road project become its gateway to prosperity?

  • Once a hub of global trade, Iraq aims to reclaim role with a $20 billion project connecting the Gulf to Europe by road, rail, and pipeline
  • Experts say ambitious infrastructure project could prove transformative if it can overcome the political, logistical and financial hurdles

LONDON: Under the Abbasid Caliphate, some 1,200 years ago, Baghdad sat at a crossroads between continents, a global confluence of commerce, culture and learning, becoming one of the most important cities on the Silk Road — the vast trade network that linked Asia to Europe.

It is that same strategic positioning that the modern-day government of Iraq hopes to recreate through a mega-project that could transform the nation’s fortunes after decades of war, sanctions and underdevelopment, and in the process reshape international trade.

The Development Road scheme aims to connect the Arabian Gulf to the Mediterranean with a 1,200 km network of roads, railways and energy links from across Iraq to neighboring Turkiye.

The project is expected to cost up to $20 billion and will be constructed in partnership with Turkiye and with backing from Qatar as well as the UAE.

Turkey's Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, UAE's Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Qatar's Minister of Transport Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed al-Sulaiti, and Iraq's Transport Minister Razzaq Muhaibas Al-Saadawi applaud together during their meeting for the signing of the "Development Road" framework agreement on security, economy, and development in Baghdad on April 22, 2024.

If successful, it could carve out a new future for Iraq, diversifying its economy and raising substantial revenues. It would help export the country’s plentiful energy resources, while also consolidating relations with Turkiye and the Gulf states.

But the project faces several challenges, both within Iraq and the wider region. Corruption, interstate rivalries, political instability and conflict could derail the scheme, as could competition from other trade corridors in the region.

Failure would raise uncomfortable questions about whether Iraq can ever move beyond its chaotic past to build the kind of country its people desperately seek.

“The Development Road project is one of the most important infrastructure projects initiated in Iraq since the formation of the modern Iraqi state in the 1920s,” Mohammed Hussein, a member of the Iraqi Economists Network, told Arab News.

Volunteers of the "army of Al-Quds (Jerusalem)", with pictures of their president Saddam Hussein on their chests during a military parade in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on February 4, 2003. (AFP)

The idea for a new trade corridor through Iraq has been around for decades. In the 1980s, the concept was branded the “dry canal” — tipped as an alternative to the Suez in Egypt. But wars and sanctions on Saddam Hussein’s regime prevented any progress.

In response to public outrage over Iraq’s continued economic malaise — especially given the size of its oil reserves — the concept has since re-emerged as part of a broader development agenda, helped along by a period of relative stability and improving relations with Turkiye.

The Development Road was launched in 2023 after a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (C-R) and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C-L) attend the signing of the "Development Road" framework agreement on security, economy, and development in Baghdad on April 22, 2024. (AFP)

Central to the plan is the Grand Faw Port now under construction on Iraq’s slither of shallow coastline at the head of the Arabian Gulf. When completed, Iraqi officials say the port will have 100 berths, surpassing Jebel Ali in Dubai as the Middle East’s largest container port.

Grand Faw will connect to a network of highways and railways running through major Iraqi cities including Basra, Karbala, Baghdad and Mosul, all the way to the Turkish border at Faysh Khabur.

From there, they will connect to Turkiye’s networks, linking up with its major Mediterranean ports and its land border with Europe. Oil and gas pipelines are also planned to follow the route, linking Basra’s oil fields to Turkiye’s Ceyhan energy hub.

An Iraqi sails in the Shatt al-Arab river across from the Nahr Bin Omar oilfield in Iraq's southern province of Basra on July 18, 2022. (AFP)

The scheme, which will be built in three stages up to 2050, would see industrial areas constructed along its route. However, much of the project still remains in the planning phase.

In April last year, Turkiye, Iraq, the UAE and Qatar signed a joint cooperation agreement on the project during a long-awaited visit by Erdogan to Baghdad.

“The project aims to create a sustainable economy bridging east and west,” Al-Sudani’s office said, adding that it would “establish a new competitive transport route, and bolster regional economic prosperity.”

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. (AFP)

A planned visit by the Iraqi prime minister to Turkiye on May 8 is expected to advance the plan further.

If successful, the project would bring numerous benefits to Iraq, diversifying its economy away from oil and gas and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. According to Hussein of the Iraqi Economists Network, the project could generate $4 billion per year in customs revenues.

“The Development Road is likely to enhance Iraq’s role in global trade and directly revitalize its non-oil economic sectors such as trade, transportation and tourism,” he said.

IN NUMBERS:

99% Oil’s share of Iraq’s exports over the past decade.

$20 billion Estimated cost of Development Road project.

(Sources: World Bank & media)

There would also be a major boost to Iraq’s strategic positioning, strengthening economic and security relations with Turkiye, the Gulf states and Europe.

“From a global perspective, the Development Road is extremely important for Iraq, as it positions the country as a land bridge between Asia and Europe,” said Hussein.

“It aims to serve as a new route for global trade from the Arab Gulf to Europe, transforming Iraq into a transit hub similar to the Suez Canal.”

Iraq's planned Development Road is envisioned to position the country as a land bridge between Asia and Europe. (Map Courtesy of Google)

Renad Mansour, a senior Iraq research fellow at Chatham House, believes the project represents a clear statement of Iraq’s ambition to put decades of chaos behind it and become a more influential power in the region.

The government sees the project “as an opportunity for Iraq, after years of conflict and dependencies, to start to regain some traction in the region by becoming an important central hub,” he told Arab News.

Iraq’s geographic position would become a “potential point of leverage” that could rebuild its regional position, he added.

Street vendors push their cart selling sweets across Al-Senak bridge over the Tigris river in central Baghdad during a dust storm on April 10, 2025. (AFP)

The Development Road also offers substantial benefits to Turkiye.

Ankara “views this project as a strategic opportunity to boost its regional role, enhance its trade ties with regional actors and solidify the economic connectivity in the region,” Sinem Cengiz, a Turkish political analyst, told Arab News.

It also marks a sea change in Turkiye-Iraq relations, which have long been dominated by border security, Turkiye’s conflict with Kurdish militants and control of water resources.

“From the Turkish side, it is an opportunity to transform its relations with Iraq from a security-oriented perspective to an economically integrated relationship,” said Cengiz.

If successful, Development Road project could diversify Iraq’s economy, increase energy exports and strengthen ties with regional powers. (AFP file)

“This project provides a framework for long-term mutual dependency and a rare chance for Turkiye and Iraq to compartmentalize, and institutionalize their relations.”

There are, however, an array of challenges and potential obstacles that could delay or scuttle the project altogether.

The biggest risks come from within Iraq itself. Since the 2003 US-led invasion, Iraq has experienced a devastating civil war, a savage conflict with Daesh extremists and the emergence of powerful Iran-backed militias.

An image uploaded on June 14, 2014 on the jihadist website Welayat Salahuddin Daesh (ISIS) militants leading dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them. (AFP)

“The Iraqi state remains fragmented and corruption is still a big challenge,” said Mansour. “There’s all sorts of challenges, political and security-wise, that would need to be addressed to ensure the sustainability of such a grand vision.”

The country still ranks poorly on Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index, although there has been gradual improvement since 2015. This, along with other bureaucratic obstacles, means ensuring efficient project management is a significant concern.

“Iraq’s reputation for corruption, weak law enforcement, bureaucratic inefficiency, and an underdeveloped business environment will certainly increase the project’s cost and duration,” said Hussein.

The nature of the project means it will have to be built through many regions of the country, each with its own ethnic, religious and political mix.

“The road will go through several different territories where the central government doesn’t have as much authority and you have different armed groups and different sides who would need to be part of this process or could turn into spoilers,” said Mansour.

The route avoids most of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in the north, apart from the last 20 km where it reaches the border with Turkiye, potentially creating new rifts with the country’s large Kurdish minority.

A view shows Iraq's northeastern city of Sulaymaniyah in the autonomous Kurdistan region at sunset. (AFP)

The Kurdistan Regional Government has accused the federal government of deliberately bypassing the territory and excluding Kurdish areas that would otherwise have benefited from the scheme, said Hussein.

“The project has raised concerns among KRG leaders, who are demanding it be designed to pass through at least two of the KRG provinces, Irbil and Duhok,” he said.

The federal government, however, denies the KRG’s claim, insisting the current route is based on cost-efficiency.

There are also major external challenges to the project.

Grand Faw Port is located just a few kilometers from Kuwait’s long-proposed Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port, which is also under construction. The projects have exacerbated a long-running dispute over the maritime border between the two states and raised tensions over competition between the two ports.

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani gives a speech during the ceremony of the beginning of the handover of the Grand Faw Port's five berths from the implementing Korean company, in the southern Basra province, on November 7, 2024, as the project approaches full completion. (AFP)

“To prevent tensions and avoid creating a sense of insecurity, Kuwait must be somehow integrated into the process,” said Cengiz. “This would make the project more regionalized and help build a more stable environment for cooperation.”

Iran, which has huge influence in Iraq, particularly through the militias it funds, is also watching the scheme warily. Some argue the corridor could benefit Iran, but could also pose significant competition to its Gulf ports and plans for its own trade route linking Asia to Europe.

Then there is the rivalry with existing trade routes, most notably the Suez Canal, which is vital to Egypt’s economy. Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis have dramatically reduced shipping through the waterway, increasing the cost of transporting goods from Asia to Europe.

Iraqi officials claim the Development Road will offer a much faster route from Asia to Europe than the Suez, even without the current shipping disruption.

Another major corridor through the Middle East is also being developed between India, the Gulf states, and Europe, and was set to include Israel and Jordan. Known as the “India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor,” or IMEC, the project has won the backing of the US. However, the war in Gaza has presented challenges.

Map of the planned IMEC connection. (Wikimedia Commons: ecfr.eu)

IMEC was viewed by some as a response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative — the vast set of infrastructure projects launched in 2013 to create land and maritime networks between Asia and Europe.

China has not yet committed to providing financial backing to the Development Road but has hinted that the project could be integrated into its BRI, raising a possible point of contention with the US.

Despite these many challenges, there is widespread support within Iraq for the project. If successful, the Development Road could become a beacon of hope for a nation emerging from a long night.