Iraq Faces Pressure in Maysan Over Closed Iran Border Crossing as Tishreen Protests Return to Baghdad

Iraq's government is dealing with two overlapping challenges: a standoff in the southeastern province of Maysan over a closed border crossing with Iran, and renewed street protests in Baghdad marking the anniversary of the 2019 Tishreen movement. Both put pressure on Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at a moment of strained relations between Baghdad and Tehran and rumors of a renewed war with Iran.

According to Rudaw, Zaidi ordered an investigation on Monday into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, the head of Maysan's provincial council. Mohammedawi had threatened to block roads linking the province to the rest of the country. On Sunday he warned that Maysan would turn to civil disobedience unless the Sheeb crossing was reopened by Thursday. "If it is not opened, then the people of Maysan province will be forced to resort to civil disobedience on all roads," he said, adding that the province could effectively be cut off.

The crossing, called Sheeb in Iraq and Chazabeh in Iran, is an important commercial route between the two countries. Baghdad closed it last Wednesday, saying it needed better technical and logistical infrastructure. Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi said the site lacked the necessary technical and technological preparations. An Iraqi border official told Reuters, as cited by Rudaw, that the closure would let authorities review security arrangements and install detection equipment to stop the smuggling of prohibited materials.

Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban, an adviser to the prime minister, claimed that drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through crossings with Iran, and Iraq pointed to "uncontrolled groups," which may be a euphemism for Iranian-backed militias. Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected the allegations on Saturday, calling them false and urging Iraqi authorities to respond to statements that could harm bilateral relations. The source article notes that militias appear to have used an area near the crossing to target Saudi Arabia in September.

Maysan is a Shiite-majority province whose capital, Amarah, is a commercial hub near the Iranian border, making cross-border trade vital to the local economy. Rudaw reported that protesters, including truck drivers who depend on trade with Iran, gathered near the crossing. Lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji questioned whether Zaidi has the legal authority to investigate an elected council chairman, arguing that only the provincial council can remove its chairman by majority vote.

In Baghdad, demonstrators gathered on October 25 to mark the Tishreen movement, which began in October 2019. Shafaq News reported that participants waved Iraqi flags and called for political and economic reforms. The protests were driven largely by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption, unemployment, poor services and the influence of political factions, and they also opposed the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas for distributing positions and resources.

Rights organizations cited by Rudaw say more than 600 protesters were killed during the movement, about 20,000 were injured and around 3,000 were arrested. Iranian-backed groups suppressed the protests, and the Badr Organization was among those accused of a role. Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri, a senior figure in the Shiite-led Coordination Framework, recently defended those groups. At an event in late August he called the protests "sedition" and said the Islamic Resistance in Iraq had helped preserve the political order.

Accountability remains a central demand. Activist and journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, quoted by Shafaq News, called for justice over the killings and criticized the concentration of political power and misuse of public wealth. The National House party, linked to the Tishreen movement, called for peaceful demonstrations and renewed demands to end corruption, reform the political system and bring weapons under state control.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella of pro-Iran armed groups, has accused the government of yielding to Washington's demands on border crossings and flights involving Iran. For Zaidi, the test is whether state institutions can enforce the law, secure borders and answer public demands without becoming hostage to competing political and armed factions.