Iraqi PM Orders Investigation After 72-Hour Deadline Set to Reopen Border

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi on Monday.

The probe targets the head of Maysan's provincial council after he issued a warning regarding trade routes.

Mohammedawi stated that Maysan would resort to civil disobedience unless the Sheeb border crossing reopened by Thursday.

"If it is not opened, then the people of Maysan province will be forced to resort to civil disobedience on all roads," he said on Sunday.

He added that the province could effectively be cut off from the rest of the country if the standoff continued.

Baghdad closed the Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, on Wednesday.

Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi said the site lacked necessary technical and technological preparations.

An Iraqi border official told Reuters that the closure allows authorities to review security and install detection equipment.

The official said the new systems aim to stop the smuggling of prohibited materials across the border.

Adviser Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban claimed drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings.

He referred to uncontrolled groups, a term often used for Iranian-backed militias, as the primary drivers of the issue.

Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected the allegations on Saturday, calling them false and urging restraint to protect bilateral relations Militias near the crossing targeted Saudi Arabia in September according to the source material Maysan is a Shiite-majority province where cross-border trade supports the local economy near the capital Amarah Truck drivers gathered near the crossing to protest the closure Lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji questioned the legal basis for the prime minister's investigation He argued that only the provincial council can remove its chairman by majority vote In Baghdad demonstrators marked the anniversary of the 2019 Tishreen movement on October 25 Shafaq News reported that participants waved Iraqi flags and called for political and economic reforms The protests were driven by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption and unemployment They also opposed the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas for distributing government positions Rights organizations 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 defended those groups at an event in late August He called the protests sedition and said the Islamic Resistance helped preserve the political order Activist 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 They demanded an end to corruption and for weapons to be brought under state control The Islamic Resistance in Iraq accused the government of yielding to Washington's demands on border crossings The group is an umbrella of pro-Iran armed factions This pressure falls on Zaidi as he tries to secure borders and answer public demands without becoming hostage to competing factions