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Iraq Reopens Key Iran Border Crossing After 3-Week ClosureWorld
Iraq reopened the Sheeb border crossing with Iran on Tuesday after nearly three weeks, restoring a vital land route for travellers, traders and pilgrims.
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The Sheeb crossing, in the eastern province of Maysan, resumed operations at 8am local time after Iraq’s Border Ports Authority said the technical requirements and procedures needed to restart it had been completed. The crossing faces Iran’s Chazabeh crossing in Khuzestan province and is one of the main routes for passengers and goods moving between the two neighbours.
The government had shut Sheeb on 21 October to review security arrangements and install detection equipment aimed at stopping smuggling. The closure had disrupted travel for traders and for pilgrims, as Sheeb is the only land crossing approved for Pakistani pilgrims travelling by road to Iraq through Iran.
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Mandali crossing to close from Friday
At the same time, the border authority announced that the Mandali crossing in Diyala province will close temporarily from 8am on Friday, 13 November, for maintenance and preparatory work ahead of the rainy season. Officials did not say when Mandali would reopen, saying only that a date would be announced once the work is finished.
The head of the Border Ports Authority, Omar al-Waeli, said in a statement carried by the state news agency INA that the aim was to keep travellers and goods moving smoothly. He said the technical work at Sheeb had been completed and the crossing was ready to operate normally again.
The reopening comes days after Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said the United States Treasury had asked Baghdad to close all of its border crossings with Iran except for two, as part of Washington’s efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran. It was not immediately clear whether the decision to reopen Sheeb or to close Mandali temporarily was connected to that request, according to reports of the announcement.
For travellers, the reopening is welcome news after three weeks in which the busy crossing stood closed. Pilgrims and traders who had been forced to find other routes, including flights to Baghdad and Najaf, can once again cross by land at Sheeb, while officials say the temporary closure at Mandali is a planned maintenance step rather than a security measure.
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