TEHRAN – Doha has announced that Qatari nationals who are willing to visit Iran can obtain visas upon arrival in the country.

Iran had decided to issue visa on arrivals for holders of the Qatari passport, Press TV reported, citing a Saturday report on the Qatari Foreign Ministry website.

Qatar has a sizable Shia Muslim population who normally visit Iran for paying homage to holy shrines in the country.

They also use Iran to travel to neighboring Iraq during the Arba'een period to attend huge processions meant to commemorate 40 days after the martyrdom anniversary in Karbala, where Imam Hussein’s shrine is located.

Iran’s offering of visa to the Qataris comes more than two years after the small Persian Gulf country came under a blockade by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain over a diplomatic dispute.

In the meantime, Qatar has sought to further boost its ties with Iran as a country that could provide Qatar with a major economic lifeline during the blockade.  

Recently, Iran and Qatar launched a new direct shipping route, connecting the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr to Qatar’s Doha.

The shipping line is scheduled to operate once a week carrying both passengers and cargoes, Siavash Arjmandzadeh, the managing director of Bushehr’s Ports and Maritime Department, announced on August 25.

Passengers can go on four- to five-day tours paying $200 to $500, he said, adding the tours take 12 hours to 20 hours depending on weather conditions and the speed of the ships.

MH/PA