Iraqi PM Orders Probe After Maysan Threatens Road Blockade Over Closed Border

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, the head of the Maysan provincial council, on Monday. The probe follows a threat by Mohammedawi to block roads connecting the southeastern province to the rest of Iraq. He warned on Sunday that the province would resort to civil disobedience on all roads if the Sheeb border crossing with Iran did not reopen by Thursday. Mohammedawi stated that Maysan could effectively be cut off if the crossing remained shut.

The Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, serves as a key commercial route between the two nations. Baghdad closed the site last Wednesday, citing a need for better technical and logistical infrastructure. Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi explained that the location lacked necessary technological preparations. An Iraqi border official told Reuters that the closure allows authorities to review security and install detection equipment to stop smuggling.

Adviser Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban claimed that drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings. He pointed to uncontrolled groups, a term often used to describe Iranian-backed militias, as the source of the issue. Iran’s embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday, labeling them false and urging Iraqi authorities to be careful with statements that could harm bilateral relations. Militias reportedly used an area near the crossing to target Saudi Arabia in September.

Maysan is a Shiite-majority province where the capital, Amarah, acts as a commercial hub near the Iranian border. Cross-border trade is vital to the local economy, and truck drivers who depend on this trade gathered near the crossing to protest. Lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji questioned whether Zaidi has the legal authority to investigate an elected council chairman, arguing that only the provincial council can remove its leader by majority vote.

In Baghdad, demonstrators gathered on October 25 to mark the anniversary of the Tishreen movement, which began in October 2019. Shafaq News reported that participants waved Iraqi flags and called for political and economic reforms. The protests were driven largely by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption, unemployment, and the influence of political factions. Protesters also opposed the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas for distributing positions.

Rights organizations cited by Rudaw say more than 600 protesters were killed during the 2019 movement, about 20,000 were injured, and around 3,000 were arrested. Iranian-backed groups suppressed the protests, with the Badr Organization among those accused. Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri recently defended those groups, calling the protests sedition and stating that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq helped preserve the political order.

Activist and journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi called for justice over the killings and criticized the concentration of political power. The National House party, linked to the Tishreen movement, called for peaceful demonstrations and renewed demands to end corruption and bring weapons under state control. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has accused the government of yielding to Washington's demands on border crossings and flights involving Iran.