Baghdad Orders Audit After Maysan Leader Vows Civil Disobedience Over Border Closure

Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the Maysan Provincial Council on Monday. The directive followed a threat by council chairman Mustafa Da'ir to initiate civil disobedience if Baghdad did not reopen the al-Shib border crossing with Iran.

Officials closed the crossing last week to upgrade security and detection equipment, according to an Iraqi official who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday. However, Kurdistan Democratic Party lawmaker Salwan Taha Akreyi offered a different account to Kurdistan24. He stated that Baghdad closed the site at Washington's request to limit transit and block Tehran's efforts to strengthen its militias in Iraq.

Da'ir gave the central government a three-day deadline to act. He warned he would cut the province off from the rest of the country if the deadline passed. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that dozens of protesters blocked roads leading to oil companies in the region to voice opposition to the shutdown.

The Badr bloc, an Iraqi Shiite Islamist group, rejected the prime minister's call for an investigation. Shafaq News reported that the group argued the closure was harming the local economy. It warned that a prolonged dispute risked damaging relations between Baghdad and the province. The bloc also urged the government to target alleged smuggling through unofficial crossings in the Kurdistan region.

The dispute occurs while the Strait of Hormuz blockade has increased Iran's reliance on land routes through Iraq and Pakistan. Tehran has condemned the al-Shib closure and rejected claims that the crossing was used to traffic drugs and counterfeit currency. The investigation remains the next scheduled step in resolving the standoff.