Airstrike on Iranian side of Shalamcheh border crossing wounds five truck drivers

BASRA — An airstrike on the Iranian side of the Shalamcheh border crossing near Basra wounded five truck drivers, including two Iraqis, and damaged several Iraqi trucks on Tuesday, a Basra governorate source told 964media.

One injured Iraqi driver was transferred to a hospital in Khorramshahr inside Iran while the other was taken to a medical center in Basra. Iranian authorities temporarily suspended trade activity at the crossing following the strike.

Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani arrived at the crossing and ordered that loaded trucks be allowed to enter the governorate “to ensure the smooth flow of trade and prevent market disruption.”

The Ministry of Transport said the Iraqi Ports Authority confirmed stability at southern ports, with operations at Umm Qasr, Abu Flous and Khor al-Zubair proceeding normally under naval force deployment. It denied reports of any targeting at the ports.

The strike is the latest in a day of widespread attacks across Iraq. An airstrike in Anbar killed PMF Anbar operations commander Saad Daway al-Baiji and 14 fighters, prompting Prime Minister Sudani to convene an emergency meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security. Separate strikes hit PMF positions in Babil and sites in Mosul. Iranian ballistic missiles struck Peshmerga positions near Soran in Erbil governorate early Tuesday, killing six fighters and wounding about 30.