Iraq closes Shib crossing; Shalamcheh, Zurbatiyah may follow

The Shib border crossing in Iraq's Maysan province was closed to travellers and goods at 6:30 a.m. Tehran time on Wednesday, 21 October, and will remain closed until further notice. This is the first step of a decision that DIAR's earlier report had announced: the gradual closure of Iraq's border crossings with Iran.

An Iraqi government official said the decision was taken on the direct orders of Ali al-Zaidi, Iraq's prime minister, in order to "review the security arrangements" at the crossing. An Iraqi border official also gave the reason as a security review and the installation of detection equipment to prevent the smuggling of prohibited goods. The Iraqi prime minister's office has not yet issued an official statement on the scope and duration of the closure. According to the same government official, other crossings will also be closed gradually. The Shalamcheh, Zurbatiyah and Mandali crossings are among those that may be closed.

The Islamic Republic's reaction to the closure of the Shib crossing

Ali Zeynivand, spokesman for the Islamic Republic's Interior Ministry, said the matter is under review. He said that closing crossings for a few hours is normal and requires no advance notice, but that under the agreement between the two countries, a closure of more than one day must be announced beforehand. He added that the decision hurts Iraqi merchants most, but admitted that Iran is also harmed. Islamic Republic officials say Tehran had received no information before the decision.

The Shib crossing is one of the main trade routes between the two countries. Food, building materials and Iranian pilgrims bound for Karbala and Najaf pass through it. Trade between Iran and Iraq exceeded 10 billion dollars last year. With the crossings closed, one of the Islamic Republic's last sources of foreign-currency income is being squeezed further. This comes as the US naval blockade has sharply cut the regime's oil exports and trade across the Pakistani border has also remained halted.

A rift in Baghdad over the border with Iran

Critics of the decision in the "Coordination Framework", the largest Shia alliance in Iraq's parliament, say that closing the crossings amounts in practice to enforcing US sanctions and harms border provinces that depend on trade with Iran. Political groups close to the Islamic Republic had earlier accused al-Zaidi's government of leaning towards Washington. Supporters of the decision, on the other hand, say Baghdad must control its borders and diversify its imports.

Background: on Tuesday, 20 October, the Iraqi government had announced that it would begin the gradual closure of border crossings with Iran with the Shib crossing. Earlier, between late August and late September, Iraq had also closed the Shalamcheh crossing for a time after drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Baghdad has closed the first of its border crossings with Iran, and the Islamic Republic had no advance warning.