Iraq closes al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran amid US pressure
Iraq closed the al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran on Wednesday "until an unspecified date", with Iraqi political sources telling AFP that Washington is pressing Baghdad to shut nearly all its crossings with Tehran.
BAGHDAD — Iraq closed the al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran on Wednesday “until an unspecified date”, a source at Iraq’s border crossings authority told AFP, giving no reason.
Two Iraqi political sources told AFP Washington is pressuring Baghdad to close more — or all — of its crossings with Iran to tighten the screws on Tehran. One said the US Treasury raised it with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in New York last month at the UN General Assembly, with a plan to close all crossings except one in federal territory and one in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region; a second said the US has asked all countries bordering Iran to do the same.
Iran’s judiciary site Mizan Online confirmed the closure as “a decision by the Iraqi prime minister’s office”. Iran’s interior ministry spokesman Ali Zeinivand acknowledged disruptions on the Pakistan border too, saying they “happen in various periods, even when there is no war or sanctions”.
Reuters reported, citing two sources at the crossing, that al-Sheeb was closed to passengers, vehicles and commercial trucks until further notice — a major trade route to Maysan Governorate. Iraq ordered Shalamcheh closed in September after drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. The two share a 1,400+ km border with at least eight official crossings, and Washington has pressed to raise economic pressure on Iran since the Middle East war broke out in February.
Sources: Dawn (AFP); New Indian Express (AFP); Al Arabiya English (AFP); Reuters via The Jerusalem Post.
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