Shafaq News- Baghdad

A Baghdad court has issued an arrest warrant for Mustafa Duair, head of the provincial council in Iraq's southern Maysan province, after he threatened civil disobedience and road closures unless the government reopened the Al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran.

The Third Karkh Investigative Court acted on a complaint from Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's office over Duair's statements, according to a court document dated October 25 and obtained by Shafaq News. The court took a statement from the prime minister's legal representative and reviewed a recording of Duair's remarks before issuing the warrant under Article 224, second paragraph, of Iraq's Penal Code and notifying the public prosecutor.

'Separate the province'

At a news conference at the crossing on Sunday, Duair gave the federal government until Thursday to reopen Al-Sheeb, threatening to declare civil disobedience, block roads and "separate the province from the body of Iraq" if it did not.

Protesters in Maysan also blocked the Bazarkan road, a key route to the province's oil companies, in anger at the closure, amid a heavy security presence.

The government ordered Al-Sheeb closed until further notice on October 20, citing technical shortcomings. The crossing, known in Iran as Chazabeh, is a major route for Iranian goods and pilgrims. Iran's Interior Ministry voiced displeasure at the decision, saying Tehran had received no advance notice from Baghdad.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iraqi officials had themselves pointed to US pressure behind the problems at the crossing.

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