Iraq reopens al-Sheib border crossing with Iran, announces temporary closure of another

BAGHDAD — Iraq on Tuesday reopened the al-Sheib border crossing with Iran, nearly three weeks after closing it, and said its Mandali crossing would shut temporarily from Friday for maintenance before the rainy season.

Al-Sheib, in Maysan governorate, resumed operations at 8 a.m. after the technical requirements and procedures for restarting it were completed, so that travelers and goods could move smoothly, Border Ports Authority chief Lt. Gen. Omar al-Waeli said in a statement.

Mandali, in Diyala governorate, will close at 8 a.m. Friday for maintenance and preparation work, Waeli said. The statement cited the approaching rainy season, which can disrupt the movement of vehicles inside the crossing.

The authority gave no reopening date for Mandali, saying it would announce one once the work was complete. It described both steps as part of its plan to prepare the border crossings and keep them running regularly and safely.

Al-Sheib closed to goods and travelers on Oct. 21 on Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s instructions. Government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said its technical and logistical facilities needed upgrading. The same day, Waeli said the government had let stranded produce shipments from Iran enter after traders warned they would spoil.

The closure brought protests by truck drivers in Maysan, who called the crossing a lifeline for the governorate’s economy and said the shutdown threatened jobs and cross-border trade.

It also caused a dispute with Tehran. Iran’s Interior Ministry said it had received no advance notice of the closure. Aboudi called that “inaccurate” and said Iranian authorities had been notified through approved channels.

On Oct. 28, General Customs Authority head Thamer Qasim Dawood said al-Sheib was rated a high-risk crossing, with no weighbridges for trucks and a single scanner that broke down from time to time. Customs staff and equipment had stayed at the crossing, and work could resume “at any moment,” he said.

Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday that the United States had formally asked Iraq to close all but two of its crossings with Iran. In the excerpts released, he did not name the two or say how Baghdad had responded. When al-Sheib closed, government adviser Abdul Amir Taiban ruled out U.S. pressure and said the aim was to stop drugs and counterfeit currency. Tuesday’s statement made no reference to the U.S. request.