PM Orders Financial Audit of Maysan Council Amid Border Dispute

Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the Maysan Provincial Council on Monday. The directive followed a warning from council chairman Mustafa Da'ir that he would initiate civil disobedience if Baghdad did not reopen the al-Shib border crossing with Iran. Da'ir gave federal authorities a three-day window to restore access before he would cut the province off from the rest of the country.

The crossing closed last week, and officials cited conflicting reasons for the shutdown. An Iraqi official told Reuters on Wednesday that the halt allowed for upgrades to security and detection equipment at the site. Salwan Taha Akreyi, a Kurdistan Democratic Party lawmaker, offered a different account to Kurdistan24, stating that Washington requested the closure to limit transit to Iran and block Tehran's efforts to strengthen its militias in Iraq.

Local unrest has accompanied the bureaucratic standoff. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that dozens of protesters blocked roads leading to regional oil companies to oppose the closure. The Badr bloc, a Shiite Islamist group, rejected the prime minister's call for an audit. Shafaq News noted that the group argued the shutdown was damaging the local economy and warned that the prolonged dispute could strain relations between Baghdad and the province.

Badr also urged the government to increase enforcement against alleged smuggling through unofficial crossings in the Kurdistan region. The conflict arises at a time when Iran relies heavily on land routes through Iraq and Pakistan for shipments, a dependency heightened by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has condemned the al-Shib closure and rejected claims that the crossing was used to traffic drugs and counterfeit currency.