As the showdown between Washington and Tehran escalates elsewhere in the Gulf, Iran is giving high priority to an effort to secure, control and reopen the al-Bukamal border crossing at Qaim, the only Syrian-Iraqi border crossing under Iranian control, to solidify its influence in the Levant and mitigate the impact of US sanctions. It remains to be seen, however, whether Iran will pull off this move and how the Donald Trump administration might react.

On April 23, two buses carrying Iraqi pilgrims visiting the Shrine of Sayyida Zeinab near Damascus passed through the al-Bukamal crossing for the first time since 2012, signaling it might soon open for business and travel. The city of al-Bukamal, also often referred to as Abu Kamal, is located on the Euphrates River in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria. The crossing into Qaim, in Iraq's Anbar province, might open within six months, Iraqi border officials say.

Al-Bukamal’s strategic location has long made the city a military attraction for foreign powers. In the 17th century, it was the seat of an Ottoman sanjak and in 1921 the seat of a large garrison when French troops occupied Deir ez-Zor. After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the city became a crossing point for the Iraqi insurgency, which led in October 2008 to a US raid on al-Bukamal from across the Iraqi border.

Today, it might potentially become the major gateway for Iran’s land bridge that links Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut while securing Iran’s access to the Mediterranean Sea. In the short term, this land corridor is a crucial asset for an Iranian regime seeking to expand trade and lessen the impact of US sanctions on its economy. Opening the al-Bukamal crossing will allow Tehran to cut its aerial route expenses from Tehran to Damascus, complementing its use of the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport and the existing non-official border crossings that Iran runs in eastern Syria.