Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi is caught between the need to restrict arms and drug trafficking through Iranian border crossings and the realities of an economy that has become dependent on cheap produce imported from the neighboring country, Dr. Ronen Zeidel, an Iraq researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
Authorities closed the al-Shib crossing last week as they upgraded security and detection equipment, an Iraqi official told Reuters on Wednesday. However, Kurdistan Democratic Party lawmaker Salwan Taha Akreyi told Kurdistan24 that Baghdad had shut the crossing at Washington’s request to restrict transit to and from Iran and thwart Tehran’s efforts to strengthen its militias in Iraq.
Speaking a day after Baghdad’s Third Karkh Investigative Court issued an arrest warrant for Maysan Provincial Council Chairman Mustafa Da’ir, following a complaint by Zaidi’s office over threats of civil disobedience if the crossing remained closed, Zeidel said the “lone expression of dissatisfaction” reflected broader discontent.
Da’ir gave Baghdad until Thursday to open the crossing, threatening unrest and warning that he would cut the province off from the rest of the country if his demands went unmet
The country’s reliance on cheap shipments from Iran has led residents to neglect local agriculture, and they have become reliant, he said, adding that some who benefit from the transit of criminal goods have a “vested interest” in seeing it reopened swiftly.
Iraq governorate benefits from Iran border crossing
“Many people in this governorate, particularly those who work in the local administration, benefit from the border crossing. They earn a lot of money from smuggling all kinds of merchandise, especially drugs, arms, and other goods,” he said.
“They have a vested interest in keeping the border crossing open at all times. That is why there were so few demonstrations protesting its closure, and why he says what he says. He does not represent the entire population, but rather a certain segment of local society, particularly, I think, his tribe, which benefits from the border crossing. That explains his position.”
It is understood that Da’ir comes from the Muhammedawi tribe, one of the most powerful Arab Shia tribes in Iraq.
Though the closure may thwart Iranian smuggling attempts, Zeidel acknowledged that Baghdad would find it “difficult” to maintain it in the long term. He explained that rising prices from the loss of cheap Iranian goods, along with protests and pressure from Tehran, would make it increasingly difficult for Baghdad to sustain the closure.
Strait of Hormuz blockade increases Iran reliance on land routes
The closure comes as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has increased Iran’s reliance on land routes through neighboring Iraq and Pakistan for shipments, and the sanctions preventing Iranian flights from landing at the majority of airports have only added to Iran’s frustrations, he said.
Tehran strongly condemned the closure of the crossing earlier this week, denying allegations that the al-Shib crossing had been used to traffic drugs and counterfeit currency.
“The [closures] drive the Iranian leadership crazy,” Zeidel said, adding that in many ways closing Iran’s access to Iraq had become more effective than airstrikes.
In response to said frustrations, Zeidel said that Iran-backed militias were likely to escalate economic protests and, potentially, use Iraqi territory to attack Saudi Arabia to bring embarrassment to Baghdad.