The
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
–
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
border runs for 1,599 km (994 mi) from the
tripoint
A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...
with
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
in the north down to the
Shatt al-Arab
The Shatt al-Arab () is a river about in length that is formed at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the town of al-Qurnah in the Basra Governorate of southern Iraq. The southern end of the river constitutes the Iran– ...
(known as Arvand Rud in Iran) waterway and out to the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
in the south. Although the boundary was first determined in 1639, certain disputes continue, particularly surrounding navigation on the Shatt al-Arab.
Boundary line
The border starts in the north at the Turkish tripoint (at 37° 08' 44" N and 44° 47' 05" E). It then proceeds southwards via a series of irregular lines through the
Zagros Mountains
The Zagros Mountains are a mountain range in Iran, northern Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. The mountain range has a total length of . The Zagros range begins in northwestern Iran and roughly follows Iran's western border while covering much of s ...
, trending broadly to the south-east, save for short stretches where it utilises rivers (such as the Zab as Saghir and
Diyala River
The Diyala (Arabic: ; ; Farsi: , ) is a river and tributary of the Tigris. It is formed by the confluence of the Sirwan and Tanjaro rivers in Darbandikhan Dam in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate of Northern Iraq. It covers a total distance of .
...
) and a protrusion of Iraqi territory east of
Sulaymaniyah
Sulaymaniyah or Slemani (; ), is a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and is the capital of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. It is surrounded by the Azmar (Ezmer), Goizha (Goyje) and Qaiwan (Qeywan) Mountains in the northeast, Bara ...
in
Penjwen District. To the east of
Al Amarah
Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...
the irregular lines cease, and the border continues southward via four straight line sections through
marshland
In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...
down to the Nahr al-Khayin river. The border follows this river briefly down to the Shatt al-Arab, the
thalweg
In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Normally only the horizontal position of the curve is considered (as viewed on a map); the c ...
of which it then follows out to the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
at the "lowest point of low water" at the mouth of the
Shatt al-Arab
The Shatt al-Arab () is a river about in length that is formed at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the town of al-Qurnah in the Basra Governorate of southern Iraq. The southern end of the river constitutes the Iran– ...
at (
WGS84
The World Geodetic System (WGS) is a standard used in cartography, geodesy, and satellite navigation including GPS. The current version, WGS 84, defines an Earth-centered, Earth-fixed coordinate system and a geodetic datum, and also descri ...
).
History
Ottoman era (1500s–1920)
The
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
had conquered much of what is now Iraq from
Safavid Persia
The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the beg ...
in the
Ottoman–Safavid War of 1532–1555. The war concluded with the
Peace of Amasya
The Peace of Amasya (; ) was a treaty agreed to on May 29, 1555, between Shah Tahmasp I of Safavid Iran and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire at the city of Amasya, following the Ottoman–Safavid War (1532–1555), Ottoman� ...
, by which Ottoman rule over
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
was confirmed. Ottoman control of Mesopotamia was strengthened following the
Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–1639)
The Ottoman–Safavid War of 1623–1639 was a conflict fought between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran, then the two major powers of Western Asia, over control of Mesopotamia. After initial Safavid success in recapturing Baghdad and most of ...
, which was ended by the
Treaty of Zuhab
The Treaty of Zuhab (, ''Ahadnāmah Zuhab''), also called Treaty of Qasr-e Shirin (), signed on May 17, 1639, ended the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1623–1639. It confirmed territorial divisions in West Asia, shaping the borders between the Safavid an ...
.
The Zuhab treaty stipulated that the boundary between the two empires would run between the Zagros Mountains and the
Tigris River
The Tigris ( ; see below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, before merging ...
, though a precise line was not drawn at that time.
During the
Ottoman–Hotaki War (1722–1727) the Ottomans invaded Iran in league with
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, gaining large parts of north-west Iran via the
Treaty of Hamedan.
Another war followed in the 1740s which was ended by the
Treaty of Kerden
Treaty of Kerden (, Persian language, Persian:عهدنامه گردان) was signed between Ottoman Empire and Afsharid Iran on 4 September 1746. It concluded the Ottoman–Persian War (1743–46), Ottoman–Persian War (1743–1746).
Background ...
in 1746, which restored Iran's western provinces and re-affirmed the 1639 Zuhab border.

The
Ottoman–Persian War (1821–1823) ended with the signing of the
First Treaty of Erzurum, which re-affirmed the 1639 Zuhab border.
A boundary commission involving Iranian, Ottoman, Russian and British officials assisted with the boundary delimitation, resulting in the
Second Treaty of Erzurum of 1847 which affirmed the 1639 border with some small modifications.
The new treaty first raised the issue of the
Shatt al-Arab
The Shatt al-Arab () is a river about in length that is formed at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the town of al-Qurnah in the Basra Governorate of southern Iraq. The southern end of the river constitutes the Iran– ...
waterway; the boundary was set at the eastern bank of the river so that the entire waterway remained under Ottoman control, whilst allowing that “Persian vessels shall have the right to navigate freely without let or hindrance”.
The four-way boundary commission resumed its work in the following years, and after much work and cartographic disputation a detailed map was produced in 1869.
Despite the work of the commission, disputes concerning the precise boundary alignment continued. The Ottomans and Iran agreed to work on a more precise demarcation in 1911 at the urging of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and the
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
, both of whom had
colonial aspirations in the region.
From November 1913-October 1914 a boundary commission established the Constantinople Protocol, providing a detailed delimitation of the entire boundary, and also confirmed Ottoman control of the Shatt al-Arab.
In general, the line was to follow the east bank of the waterway except in the region surrounding the Iranian town of
Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr (; ) is a city in the Central District of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is also known in Arabic by the local ethnically Arab population as Al-Muhamma ...
, where it was to follow the thalweg.
The four-nation boundary commission then surveyed the border on the ground and demarcated it with pillars, producing a detailed series of map depicting the confirmed frontier.
Colonial and independent Iraq (1920–present)
During the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
an
Arab Revolt
The Arab Revolt ( ), also known as the Great Arab Revolt ( ), was an armed uprising by the Hashemite-led Arabs of the Hejaz against the Ottoman Empire amidst the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I.
On the basis of the McMahon–Hussein Co ...
, supported by Britain, succeeded in removing the Ottomans from most of the Middle East. As a result of the secret 1916 Anglo-French
Sykes–Picot Agreement
The Sykes–Picot Agreement () was a 1916 secret treaty between the United Kingdom and France, with assent from Russia and Italy, to define their mutually agreed spheres of influence and control in an eventual partition of the Ottoman Empire.
T ...
Britain gained control of the Ottoman Vilayets of
Mosul
Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
,
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
and
Basra
Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...
, which it organised into the
mandate of Iraq in 1920.
The former Ottoman-Iran boundary was retained, now forming the borders between Iran and Iraq, and also Iran and the new
Republic of Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
established in 1923.
Iraq later gained independence in 1932.

The border was challenged by Iran in 1934 at the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
, with the validity of both the Treaty of Erzurum and the Constantinople Protocol being called into question.
The dispute was resolved in 1937, following the general lines of the old boundary, with the exception of the area immediately around the Iranian town of
Abadan
Abadan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Abadan County), Central District of Abadan County, Khuzestan province, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is in the southwest of the coun ...
, where the boundary was moved from the east bank to the thalweg, as had been done around Khorramshahr two decades earlier.
While that resolved Iran's major grievances, it failed to respond to the issue of freedom of navigation in the Shatt al-Arab. The issue rumbled on in the following decades, with Iraq adopting a more assertive foreign policy in the 1970s following the rise of
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
. In 1969 Iran abrogated the 1937 treaty, resulting in the
1974–75 Shatt al-Arab conflict
The 1974–1975 Shatt al-Arab conflict consisted of armed cross-border clashes between Iran and Iraq. It was a major escalation of the Shatt al-Arab dispute, which had begun in 1936 due to opposing territorial claims by both countries over the ...
with Iraq on the Shatt al-Arab.
In retaliation Iraq supported Arab separatists in Iran's oil-rich
Khuzestan
Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...
province, with Iran supporting Kurdish rebels in Iraq.
A
peace agreement was signed on 6 March 1975 in Algiers in which both parties pledged to further demarcate the border, both on land and in the Shatt al-Arab, based upon the Erzurum Treaty and Constantinople Protocol.
[Karsh, Efraim ''The Iran–Iraq War 1980–1988'', London: Osprey, 2002 page 8] A further treaty was signed in Baghdad that year, confirming the Algiers provisions, along with maps marking the border.
Relations soured once again in 1979, as Saddam Hussein formally took office and the
Shah of Iran
The monarchs of Iran ruled for over two and a half millennia, beginning as early as the 7th century BC and enduring until the 20th century AD. The earliest Iranian king is generally considered to have been either Deioces of the Median dynasty () ...
was overthrown in the
Islamic Revolution
The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...
and replaced by a
Shi'ite
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood to ...
theocracy under
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...
. War broke out in 1980 when Iraq
invaded Iran, leading to the eight-year long
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
.
Almost the entire ground war was fought in close proximity to the international boundary, though the conflict resulted in stalemate and following the end of fighting no changes to the border were made.
Relations were restored in 1990 and have improved substantially since the
overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Settlements near the border
Iran
*
Piranshahr
Piranshahr (, Kurdish: ''Pîranşar'' or ''Khane'') is a city in the Central District of Piranshahr County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Etymology
According to the Arab geogr ...
*
Sardasht
*
Maraghan
Maraghan (, also Romanized as Marāghān; also known as Margan) is a village in Baryaji Rural District, in the Central District of Sardasht County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and a ...
*
Alut
*
Baneh
* Qohabad
*
Nanur
Nanur () is a village in, and the capital of, Nanur Rural District of Nanur District, Baneh County, Kurdistan province, Iran.
Demographics Ethnicity
The village is populated by Kurds
Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian ...
*
Qamishaleh
*
Sadabad
*
Marivan
Marivan (; ) is a city in the Central District of Marivan County, Kurdistan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Demographics Language
The city is populated by ethnic Kurds and the people of Marivan sp ...
*
Hani Garmaleh
*
Nowdesheh
* Marrehkhel
* Kheyli Mara
*
Sumar
*
Tappeh Maran
*
Qasr-e Shirin
*
Naft shahr
* Pasgah-e Meyan Tang
*
Sar Ney
*
Salehabad
*
Mehran
* Dobrij
*
Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr (; ) is a city in the Central District of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is also known in Arabic by the local ethnically Arab population as Al-Muhamma ...
*
Abadan
Abadan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Abadan County), Central District of Abadan County, Khuzestan province, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is in the southwest of the coun ...
*
Shalamcheh
Iraq
*
Qaladiza
Qaladze (, ) is a town in Kurdistan Region, Iraq, north of Sulaymaniyah, near the Iranian border. It is surrounded by mountains like many parts of Kurdistan. The town is located in the middle of Pişder District.
Etymology
Qeladizê means "Ca ...
* Tutkan
* Kani Spika
*
Said Sadiq
Said Sadiq (; ) is a city located in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The nearby archaeological site of Tell Begum
Tell Begum is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Iraq. It is located near Said Sadi ...
*
Halabja
Halabja (, ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the capital of Halabja Governorate, located about northeast of Baghdad and from the Iranian border.
The city lies at the base of what is often referred to as the greater Hewraman re ...
* Sazan
* Girdanawe
* Hajilar
* Qoratu
*
Khanaqin
Khanaqin (; ) is the central city of Khanaqin District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border (8 km) on the Alwand tributary of the Diyala River. The town is populated by Kurds who speak the Southern Kurdish dialect. Khan ...
* Makatu
*
Mandali
* Ney Khezer
*
Zurbatiyah
Zurbatiyah () is a city located in Wasit Governorate, Iraq and is a busy port of entry from Iran. It was previously inhabited by majority Arabs and minority Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman up until the late 20th century where Kurds now are a majority ...
*
Badra
*
Al Qurnah
Al-Qurnah (Kurnah or Qurna, meaning connection/joint in Arabic) is a town in southern Iraq about 74 km northwest of Basra, that lies within the conglomeration of Nahairat. Qurna is located at the confluence point of the Tigris and Euphrates river ...
*
Basra
Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...
*
Al-Faw
Al-Fāw (; sometimes transliterated as ''Fao'') is a port town on Al-Faw Peninsula in Iraq near the Shatt al-Arab and the Persian Gulf. The Al Faw Peninsula is part of the Basra Governorate.
History
The town lies at the south-east end of the ...
Border Crossings

There are multiple border crossings between Iran and Iraq, with separate crossings for Iraqi Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq. Below is the organization of these crossings:
Border Crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan
These border crossings link Iran to the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan:
* ''
Parviz border'' (Sulaymaniyah Governorate,
Kermanshah Province
Kermanshah province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, bordering Iraq. Its capital is the city of Kermanshah.
According to a 2014 segmentation by the Ministry of Interior (Iran), Ministry of Interior, it is the center of Regions of Iran ...
)
* ''
Haji Omeran'' (Erbil Governorate)
* ''
Bashmaq'' (Kurdistan Province/Sulaymaniyah Governorate)
* ''
Sayran Ban'' (Penjwen district, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, from 2016)
Border Crossings with the Rest of Iraq
These border crossings connect Iran with the rest of Iraq:
* ''
Khosravi/Manzarieh''
* ''
Mehran/Zurbatiyah''
* ''
Chazabeh/Al Shaib''
* ''
Shalamcheh''
* ''
Soomar/Mandali''
Security Measures
In 2023, the Iraqi government was working on the construction of 47 security installations along its border with Iran.
See also
*
Al-Fakkah Field - disputed oil field on the border
*
Iran–Iraq relations
Iran–Iraq relations (; ) are the diplomatic and foreign relations between the two sovereign states of Iran and Iraq.
Both states have history that extends for millennia into the past. Iran and Iraq share a long border (the longest border for bo ...
*
Iran–Turkey border
The Iran–Turkey border (; ) is in length, and runs from the tripoint with Azerbaijan in the north to the tripoint with Iraq in the south.
Description
The border starts in the north at the tripoint with Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Re ...
*
Iraq–Turkey border
*
Iraq–Kuwait border
The Iraq–Kuwait border is 254 km (158 mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with Saudi Arabia in the west to the Persian Gulf coast in the east.
Description
The border starts in the west at the Saudi tripoint on the Wadi al-Batin, and ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iran-Iraq border
Borders of Iran
Borders of Iraq
International borders