CAIRO: Iraq will reopen the Sheeb border crossing with Iran on Tuesday morning after fulfilling technical standards and necessary processes, the chairman of the country’s Border Ports Authority said, according to state news agency INA.
The administration would temporarily close the Mandali border crossing with Iran starting Friday to complete technical requirements, INA reported.
The move follows Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein’s statement that the US Treasury has told Baghdad to restrict all border crossings with Iran except two, as part of Washington’s efforts to apply more economic pressure on Tehran.
There are many official and unofficial border crossings with Iran, and it would be difficult to close them all, and it would affect our economy. The Americans are still seeking the closing of the crossings, and we are currently in conversation with them,” Hussein told Al Jazeera.
Iraq shut the important Sheeb border crossing with Iran last month to reassess security and install detection technology to curb smuggling.
It was not immediately obvious if the planned reopening of Sheeb or the interim shutdown of Mandali were related to the US request. Mandali border crossing with Iran is to be temporarily closed for technical examinations starting on Friday. Discussions between Iraq and the US are continuing on the implications of closing border crossings on the Iraqi economy
