Follow-Up: Iraq Reopens Sheib Crossing With Iran After Three-Week Closure, to Temporarily Close Mandali From Friday
Omar al-Waeli, head of Iraq's Border Ports Authority, said in a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency early on Nov. 10 that the Sheib crossing with Iran reopened at 8 a.m. that morning, restoring the movement of travellers and goods. The Sheib crossing, in Iraq's eastern Maysan province opposite Iran's Chazabeh crossing in Khuzestan, is one of the main routes for trade and passengers between the two countries; it had been closed since Oct. 21, a period of three weeks.
The statement also said the Mandali crossing in Diyala province will close temporarily from 8 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, so that maintenance and technical preparation work can be completed before the rainy season. The authority said rainfall could disrupt vehicle movement inside the crossing, making the work necessary, and that a reopening date for Mandali will be announced once the work is finished.
Sheib was closed on the instructions of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. Government spokesman Haider al-Abboudi said on Oct. 21 that the crossing was shut because it was not technically ready and its operations needed improvement; Reuters has reported that Iraq also used the closure to review security and install detection equipment to stop smuggling. The authority said in its latest statement that the technical requirements and procedures needed to restart the crossing had been completed, with the aim of keeping travellers and goods moving smoothly.
The adjustments come amid U.S. pressure on Iraq. Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Nov. 7 that the U.S. Treasury had formally asked Baghdad to close all of its border crossings with Iran except two, as part of Washington's efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran, and that Iraq found a full closure difficult. Reuters noted it was not immediately clear whether the reopening of Sheib or the planned closure of Mandali was related to the U.S. request, and that discussions between Iraq and the United States over the economic impact of closing crossings are ongoing.
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(Source: Iraqi News Agency)
Source: Iraqi News Agency
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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