U.S. Sees a Vital Iraqi Toll Road, but Iran Sees a Threat<br />Tigris LEBANON SYRIA Syrian Desert Euphrates Baghdad Damascus 1 ANBAR PROVINCE 40 Amman JORDAN IRAQ Jerusalem 100 Miles SAUDI ARABIA<br />ISRAEL LEBANON SYRIA Baghdad Syrian Desert IRAQ 1 ISRAEL ANBAR PROVINCE 40 Amman 100 Miles SAUDI ARABIA JORDAN MAY 21, 2017<br />A prominent Shiite leader and former lawmaker here, Izzat Shahbander, has become a leading voice of opposition to the highway project.<br />economic lifeline." In prosperous and safe times, the highway from Baghdad to Amman was an important conduit of commerce — with close to 1,500 trucks moving back and forth each day, accounting for about $1 billion in trade per month, Mr. Ronnow said.<br />that We hope the Iraqi people and the Jordanian people will see this for what it is — an<br />As part of an American effort to promote economic development in Iraq<br />and secure influence in the country after the fight against the Islamic State subsides, the American government has helped broker a deal between Iraq and Olive Group, a private security company, to establish and secure the country’s first toll highway.<br />And there is talk of eventually setting up three other toll highways in Iraq<br />that would also be managed by American companies: from the Saudi Arabia border, through Karbala to Baghdad; from the port city of Basra to Baghdad; and from the Syrian border to Baghdad.<br />"There is big hope that this project will benefit the province in two important ways, security<br />and economically." Falih Hassan and Omar Al-Jawoshy contributed reporting from Baghdad, and an employee of The New York Times contributed from Anbar Province, Iraq.
