Iraqi PM probes Maysan council after Iran border standoff
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi ordered a review of the provincial council on Monday following a three-day deadline set by local leaders to reopen the al-Shib crossing.
By Fatou Kim ·
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the Maysan Provincial Council on Monday. The move followed a warning from council chairman Mustafa Da’ir that the province would enact "civil disobedience" if Baghdad kept the al-Shib border crossing with Iran closed.
Authorities shut the crossing last week to upgrade security and detection equipment, according to an Iraqi official who spoke to Reuters. However, Kurdistan Democratic Party lawmaker Salwan Taha Akreyi told Kurdistan24 that the closure was requested by Washington. He argued the move aims to restrict transit to Iran and block Tehran’s efforts to strengthen its militias in Iraq.
Da’ir gave the central government a three-day deadline before escalating his response. He threatened to cut the province off from the rest of the country. Dozens of protesters also blocked roads leading to regional oil companies to voice their opposition to the closure, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
The Shiite Islamist Badr bloc rejected Al-Zaidi's call for an inquiry. The group argued the closure was harming the local economy and warned that prolonging the dispute could damage relations between Baghdad and Maysan, according to Shafaq News. Badr also urged the government to focus on combating smuggling through unofficial crossings in the Kurdistan region.
The dispute occurs while a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has increased Iran’s reliance on land routes through Iraq and Pakistan for shipments. Tehran has condemned the closure, rejecting allegations that the al-Shib crossing was used to traffic drugs and counterfeit currency.
