Al-Shib Closure Dispute Leads to Investigation of Maysan Official

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation on Monday into the head of the Maysan Provincial Council after the official threatened civil disobedience, road closures and steps toward separating the southern province from Baghdad's authority over the shutdown of a border crossing with Iran.

The prime minister's media office said the inquiry concerned remarks made on Sunday by council chairman Mustafa Da'ir, who demanded the reopening of the al-Shib crossing.

It stressed that disputes involving public services and administration must be handled through legal, constitutional and established administrative procedures.

The office said the relevant authorities would decide whether Da'ir's remarks amounted to a legal violation. It did not announce any finding against him or provide details of the investigation's timetable.

The order follows an ultimatum Da'ir delivered at a press conference near al-Shib on Oct. 25.

He gave the federal government three days to reopen the crossing, warning that failure to do so could trigger civil disobedience, the closure of roads and further steps intended to remove Maysan from federal authority.

He also indicated that the deadline could be extended until Thursday.

Baghdad ordered the crossing with Iran closed on Oct. 20 until further notice.

Federal officials have attributed the suspension to shortcomings in its technical and logistical facilities, including the equipment needed to inspect and monitor traffic. The government says trade with Iran continues through other border crossings.

The dispute has nevertheless become more than a disagreement over border infrastructure.

The provincial council's threat directly challenges the federal government's handling of the closure, while the prime minister's investigation raises the question of what legal consequences, if any, may follow the council chairman's statements.

Iran has also objected to the decision.

Its Interior Ministry expressed dissatisfaction with the shutdown and said Tehran had not been informed in advance, adding a cross-border dimension to a confrontation already generating political pressure inside Iraq.

Questions surrounding the reasons for the closure have produced competing explanations.

Salwan Taha Akreyi, a Kurdistan Democratic Party lawmaker serving on the Iraqi parliament's Border Crossings Committee, told Kurdistan24's Basi Roj program, in an interview conducted by Zhino Mohammed, that the United States had asked the prime minister to shut crossings with Iran and strengthen control over armed groups.

Akreyi described al-Shib as an initial measure in what he considered a broader security effort and suggested the Mandali crossing might also face restrictions. However, he said the Border Crossings Authority had informed him that no formal closure instruction had been issued for Mandali.

He also said the official communication concerning al-Shib did not cite security grounds.

Washington has not publicly confirmed any general request to close Iraq's border crossings with Iran.

Asked by Kurdistan24 about the issue, a US State Department spokesperson instead referred to expectations that al-Zaidi would honor commitments made to President Donald Trump in July, including measures against terrorism and attacks originating from Iraqi territory.

Al-Zaidi has separately argued that shutting Iraq's borders with Iran would harm both economies.

He has also said his government intends to keep Iraq out of regional conflicts and confine weapons to state institutions, positions that form part of the wider debate about border management and federal security authority.

For Maysan, however, the immediate demand remains the restoration of al-Shib's operations.

The council chairman has threatened escalating action, while Baghdad has responded with an investigation rather than announcing the crossing's reopening. As of Monday's announcement, no decision reversing the shutdown or determining Da'ir's legal responsibility had been disclosed.