US Bid to Close Iran’s Land Borders Thwarted by Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, diplomatic efforts by the United States to encourage Turkey, Iraq, and Pakistan to close their land borders with Iran have been unsuccessful.

Reports indicate that officials from these countries informed Washington that blocking border crossings with Iran would harm their economies, given the reliance of border communities on trade and movement between the two nations. These countries also cautioned that closing border crossings could lead to unrest and protests in border regions.

In related developments, Omar Al-Waeli, head of Iraq’s Border Crossing Organization, announced that the Al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran reopened on November 10 after the completion of technical measures. He also reported the temporary closure of the Mandali crossing from November 13 for maintenance operations.

Previously, Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, had stated that the U.S. Treasury Department had requested Baghdad to close all border crossings with Iran except for two. However, he described the implementation of such a request as difficult.