The Iraqi Border Crossings Authority announced on Tuesday the reopening of the Shuaybah border crossing with Iran to travelers and goods, and the temporary closure of the Mandali crossing on the same border starting Friday for maintenance work.
The head of the authority, Omar Al-Waili, said in a statement quoted by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA), that the reopening of the Shuaybah crossing was decided starting at 8:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday (05:00 UTC), after completing the technical requirements and necessary procedures to restart it.
For his part, Al-Waili clarified that the closure of the Mandali crossing will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, November 13, local time (05:00 UTC), to complete preparation and maintenance works before the rainy season. He pointed out that weather conditions during the rainy season may affect vehicle movement within the crossing, necessitating the implementation of necessary maintenance works.
The authority did not specify the duration of Mandali's closure, noting that its reopening date will be announced immediately upon completion of the required works. The Shuaybah crossing is located in Maysan province in southeastern Iraq, opposite the Jazirah crossing in Iran's Khuzestan province, while the Mandali crossing is located in Diyala province in the east of the country.
On October 21, the Iraqi government spokesperson, Haider al-Abudi, attributed the closure of Shuaybah to its lack of technical readiness, stating that trade exchange with Iran continued through other crossings. Shuaybah had also been closed last September as part of measures that the Iraqi Security Media Cell said aimed to reorganize work and investigate violations at the crossings.
At that time, authorities kept the Zurbatiyah and Al-Mandariyah crossings open to travelers, before Prime Minister Ali al-Allawi ordered the passage of stranded individuals through Shuaybah and Al-Shalamjah. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Allawi conducted a visit to Iran to discuss ways to reduce tensions in the region, according to Iraqi Ambassador to Tehran Yasser Abdul Zahra Al-Hajj, on Monday.
Al-Hajj told INA that the visit came "in a private and unannounced capacity." The Border Crossings Authority attributed the reopening of Shuaybah to the completion of technical procedures, without linking the decision to the visit.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fawzi Hussein said in an interview with Al Jazeera channel published on Sunday that the US Treasury Department requested Baghdad to close all border crossings with Iran except for two. He added that the Iraqi government continues to discuss the request with Washington, warning that its implementation would affect the Iraqi economy.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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