Three Iraq-Iran border outlets closed after Saudi attacks
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq has closed three border crossings with Iran after Saudi Arabia reported that drones launched from Iraqi territory struck an oil pipeline, as Baghdad investigates how weapons and equipment used in the attacks entered the country, an informed source told Shafaq News on Saturday.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the closure of the Shalamcheh, Al-Sheeb and Mandali crossings following the attacks, with the source describing the move as an economic measure against Tehran.
Investigators are examining how the materials reached Iraq and whether security forces or government agencies were involved in breaches that allowed them to cross into the country.
The Zurbatiya and Al-Mundhiriya crossings remain the only ones open to passenger traffic with Iran.
Saudi Arabia said on Friday that its East-West pipeline, which carries crude across the country toward its Red Sea coast, had been hit by several drones originating from Iraq. The attacks caused casualties and property damage, prompting a temporary precautionary shutdown of the line.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IR), an umbrella group of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions, denied involvement in the attacks and expressed readiness to participate in a government investigation into the incidents.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi also directed an investigation into the Maysan Operations Command, the regional military command responsible for the province, and removed its commander from his post. Al-Zaidi took the action after authorities determined that the attacks had originated from a site inside the province, pledging that his government "will not tolerate any activity that puts Iraq or its relations with friendly countries at risk."
