Iraq says US asked it to close all but two border crossings with Iran

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Saturday that the United States had asked Baghdad to close all border crossings shared with Iran except for two, according to remarks he made to Al-Jazeera. He linked the request to what he described as US setbacks in its military campaign and naval blockade against Tehran.

The Al-Sheib border crossing in Iraq, known as Chazabeh on the Iranian side, has been closed since the morning of Wednesday, October 21, 2026, by order of the Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi. Both passenger traffic and the movement of commercial goods through the crossing have been suspended as a result.

Eighteen days after the closure, protests in Iraq's Maysan province are continuing. Reports indicate that today's gathering of protesters also escalated into tensions and clashes. Hussein said the current situation points to the possibility of renewed military conflict.

Hussein also said Iraq had suffered losses of approximately $60 billion following the suspension of oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz. The closure of the Chazabeh-Al-Sheib crossing has affected both travelers and traders who rely on the route for commercial goods.

According to Mehr News, the foreign minister's remarks to Al-Jazeera covered the US request on border crossings, the closure order by the Iraqi government, the continuing protests in Maysan province and the reported financial losses linked to the halt in oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.