Iraq closes key border crossing with Iran amid reported US pressure
Baghdad shuts the Al-Sheeb crossing until further notice, citing security. According to AFP, the US is pressing for further crossings to be closed.
Symbolic image · Photo: Mohammad Hassanzadeh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Iraq has closed the Al-Sheeb crossing (Chazabeh on the Iranian side) on its border with Iran, citing security concerns. An Iraqi border official told Reuters the closure allows a security review and the installation of equipment to detect smuggled goods. The crossing remains closed to passengers and commercial traffic until further notice, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
Iranian officials confirmed the closure and said talks on reopening it were under way; they advised travellers and truck drivers to use the Shalamcheh crossing instead. Two Iraqi political sources told AFP that the US is pressing Baghdad to close more crossings, which could leave only two operational.
Iraq and Iran share a border more than 1,400 kilometres long. The backdrop is the US-Israeli war against Iran: Tehran has restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington maintains a blockade of Iranian ports.