'Grown accustomed'

Solemn ceremony at Shalamcheh border crossing sees Iraq and Iran exchange remains of soldiers lost in war

BASRA — In a solemn gathering at the Shalamcheh border crossing Sunday, Iraqi and Iranian officials exchanged the remains of soldiers who died in the 1980s Iran-Iraq War. Military bands played somber tunes as Iraq transferred 41 Iranian remains—16 of them identified—and received 21 Iraqi remains, only one of which was identified.

The handover, the 81st of its kind, was supervised by the International Committee of the Red Cross and witnessed by government and military representatives. Flags draped some of the caskets, symbolizing a gesture of reconciliation and providing closure to long-grieving families.

“The Ministry of Defense delivered 41 remains to the Iranian side and received 21 in return, 20 of which were unidentified, while one was identified as an Iraqi officer,” said Nashaat Nadhim from the Directorate of Remains Exchange. “All the remains belong to soldiers who perished during the 1980s war. Iraq still has 51,000 missing soldiers, while Iran has approximately 2,200. Search efforts will continue until the remains of every last soldier are found.”

“We have grown accustomed to the process of exchanging the remains of our sons, who are victims of the eight-year Iraq-Iran war that devastated both nations,” said Hassan Al-Najjar, deputy governor of Basra. “These soldiers hailed from various regions of Iraq. We oversaw the handover of these remains, and we pray for God’s mercy upon them, patience for their families, and that they find eternal peace for the sacrifices they made for their country.”

This exchange follows a similar handover in September 2024, when Iraq returned the remains of 98 Iranian soldiers through the same border crossing. Since a 2008 agreement between Tehran and Baghdad—brokered with Red Cross support—hundreds of remains have been repatriated, reflecting ongoing efforts to address the enduring legacy of a war that cost both nations dearly.

The Iran-Iraq War erupted after Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime confronted the newly formed Islamic Republic of Iran. The conflict claimed more than one million lives and inflicted catastrophic economic and human losses on both sides.