ABNA24 - Iraq’s Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has ordered the closure of the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran in Basra, according to a senior Iraqi security official.
The move was later confirmed by Reuters, citing two security sources, who said the crossing was closed as a precaution following recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.
The closure comes days after Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry claimed that drones launched from Iraq’s Maysan province struck its East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, wounding several people and forcing a temporary shutdown of the line.
In response, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi dismissed the commander of military operations in Maysan and ordered an investigative council and an urgent probe into the circumstances of the attack and those responsible.
Meanwhile, Baghdad has reiterated that Iraqi territory and airspace will not be used as a launching pad for aggression against any country, pledging to prevent further attacks originating from its territory.
Saudi Arabia said it would refrain from retaliation for now at the Iraqi prime minister’s request, giving Baghdad time to act, while reserving the right to take measures it deems necessary to protect its sovereignty, security, and critical facilities.
Shalamcheh, a major crossing between Iraq’s Basra province and Iran, has previously been closed amid security tensions. In April, Iraq shut the crossing after US airstrikes on the Iranian side of the terminal claimed the life of an Iraqi citizen and wounded five others.
The crossing is a vital channel for trade, passenger movement, and religious pilgrimage between Iraq and Iran. Its closure could therefore disrupt the movement of goods, including food imports, into southern Iraq.
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