Iraq has closed or restricted several border crossings with Iran, including al-Sheeb-Chazabeh and Mandali-Sumar. The Mandali crossing was shut on Friday by order of the federal government and will remain closed until further notice.
Iraqi officials have described the restrictions as temporary, citing technical and security concerns and efforts to combat smuggling.
However, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein acknowledged in a November 7 interview with Al Jazeera that Washington had formally asked Baghdad to close all but two of its land crossings with Iran. He said the United States continued to press for the closures, but warned that shutting all crossings would be difficult and would harm Iraq’s economy, given the numerous official and unofficial routes along the border.
Air travel has also been affected. Iranian flights to Iraqi airports were largely suspended in late September after ground-handling companies refused to service Iranian aircraft because of the risk of exposure to U.S. secondary sanctions.
Following protests from Tehran and talks with Washington, Baghdad secured a limited exemption. From early October, Iranian airlines were permitted to operate up to 40 daily flights to Najaf International Airport, except Mahan Air, which is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iraqi Airways also resumed flights between Najaf and several Iranian cities.
Direct Iranian flights remain largely limited to Najaf, while services to Baghdad, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Basra remain heavily restricted.
In a recent incident, an aircraft carrying Iran’s national soccer team was reportedly denied permission to land at Basra airport, forcing the team to travel overland from Abadan.
‘A tougher response’
The restrictions have prompted criticism from Iranian commentators and hardliners, who accuse the Iraqi government of yielding to American pressure despite its economic and political ties with Tehran.
Speaking on a panel discussion broadcast on Iranian state television, Ebrahim Naddafzadeh, an analyst on Iraqi affairs, argued that Iraq had failed even to make a symbolic attempt to resist Washington’s demands, despite what he described as its own interest in standing alongside Iran.
Naddafzadeh said Baghdad should stop describing itself as neutral and clarify whether it stood with Iran or the United States.
“Everyone says that Iran is the only country that benefits from Iraq’s strength and stability. Well, then why don’t you stand alongside Iran?” he asked.
Mehdi Azraqi, another guest on the Thursday-night program Be Vaght-e Iran, argued that American intervention in Iraq was not merely intended to counter Iranian influence. Washington’s principal objective, he claimed, was to “control and set a ceiling on Iraq’s development,” because Iran also benefits from Iraq’s economic progress.
Vahid Khazab, a political and military analyst, argued that Baghdad had demonstrated its ability to negotiate exemptions from American sanctions when its own interests were at stake.
Iraq imports electricity and natural gas from Iran to prevent serious domestic social and economic problems and has obtained U.S. waivers to continue those imports, he noted.
Khazab acknowledged that Washington has financial leverage over Baghdad through its control over arrangements for transferring Iraq’s oil revenues. But he argued that this should not prevent Baghdad from negotiating exemptions, just as it had done to maintain its energy imports from Iran.
He added that Tehran could retaliate by suspending electricity exports to Iraq but was reluctant to take a measure that would shift the burden onto ordinary Iraqis.
Instead, Khazab suggested that Iran could revive its demand for compensation for the eight-year Iran-Iraq war. He argued that Iraq was obligated to pay reparations under United Nations resolutions.
“We don’t want to seek compensation now, but we also have these levers,” he said.
US ground operation?
Another source of concern in Tehran is the possibility that Iraqi territory could be used in a future US military operation against Iran.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has said Iraq will not allow its territory to be used to attack neighboring countries. However, the Iraqi newspaper Al-Mada reported on November 9 that al-Zaidi had informed Shiite political leaders of an alleged U.S. military plan to use Iraqi territory for a ground operation in southern Iran.
The report described several possible military scenarios and suggested that Washington’s planning went beyond limited airstrikes or missile attacks against Iranian nuclear and military facilities.
Iran-aligned armed groups
Iranian hardliners are also calling for an active role by the “Islamic Resistance” current in Iraq in any future confrontation between Tehran and Washington.
Azraqi said Iraqi resistance groups had the capacity to enter a future conflict in support of Iran and take action within their capabilities against “certain targets in the region and American interests.”
The issue is particularly sensitive for al-Zaidi’s government, which is seeking to bring Iran-aligned armed factions under state control. Several groups have resisted demands to surrender their weapons.
In his Al Jazeera interview, Hussein confirmed that Baghdad was negotiating with Iran-aligned factions to bring their weapons under government control and was also discussing the matter with Tehran.
He said al-Zaidi had reached understandings with four Iraqi armed groups on the issue, while emphasizing that the process should proceed through dialogue rather than force.
The Emirati outlet Eram News has also reported that al-Zaidi warned Shiite armed-group leaders against taking unilateral action that could draw Iraq into a confrontation between Iran and the United States.
According to the outlet, he warned that any group using Iraqi territory to attack American forces or interests and giving Washington a pretext for military action against Iran could face immediate legal prosecution. The government could also arrest the groups’ leaders and declare a state of emergency.
Iraq seeks to mediate
While facing growing US pressure to curb its economic and security ties with Iran, Baghdad has also pursued diplomatic efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington.
On Thursday, Hussein told France 24 that a US special envoy had asked Iraq to mediate in negotiations with Iran, adding that al-Zaidi’s visit to Tehran had also been part of that effort.
Al-Zaidi made an unannounced visit to Tehran late last week, apparently on Friday, following discussions with US President Donald Trump and his special envoy for West Asian affairs, Tom Barrack.
Iraq’s ambassador to Tehran and Iranian sources confirmed the visit and described it as part of Baghdad’s diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions.
According to Iranian reports, al-Zaidi met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, who heads Iran’s negotiating team, and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on November 9, citing informed sources, that al-Zaidi had failed to secure any outcome during the visit that would satisfy the Americans.
The visit was reportedly also seen as an opportunity for Baghdad to explain its position on restrictions along the Iranian border and allay Tehran’s concerns.