Iraq reopens Shib border crossing with Iran after 3-week closure

BAGHDAD — Iraq reopened the Shib border crossing with Iran to passengers and commercial traffic on Tuesday after a three-week closure, while announcing that the Mandali crossing will temporarily close from Friday for maintenance work.Omar al-Waeli, head of Iraq’s Border Ports Authority, said the Shib crossing resumed operations at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) after the completion of technical requirements and administrative procedures necessary to reopen the facility.in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA), al-Waeli said Mandali will close Friday morning to complete preparation and maintenance work ahead of the rainy season.Weather conditions during the rainy season could affect vehicle movement inside the crossing, requiring the maintenance work, he said.The authority did not specify how long Mandali would remain closed, saying the reopening date would be announced once the work is completed.The Shib crossing is located in Maysan province in southeastern Iraq and connects with the Chazabeh crossing in Iran’s Khuzestan province, while Mandali is located in Iraq’s eastern Diyala province.On Oct. 21, Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Abboudi attributed Shib’s closure to a lack of technical readiness and said trade with Iran had continued through other border crossings.Shib was also closed in September as part of measures that Iraq’s Security Media Cell said were aimed at reorganizing border operations and investigating violations at crossing points.Authorities kept the Zurbatiyah and Al-Mundhiriyah crossings open to travelers at the time, before Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered that stranded passengers be allowed to cross through Shib and Shalamcheh.Al-Zaidi recently visited Iran to discuss ways to reduce regional tensions, Iraqi Ambassador to Tehran Yasser Abdul Zahra al-Hajjaj said Monday.Al-Hajjaj told INA that the visit was “private and unannounced.”The Border Ports Authority attributed Shib’s reopening to the completion of technical procedures and did not link the decision to the prime minister’s visit.Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in an interview with Qatar-based television Al Jazeera on Sunday that the US Treasury Department had asked Baghdad to close all border crossings with Iran except two.He said the Iraqi government is continuing discussions with Washington over the request, warning that implementing it would affect Iraq’s economy.