BAGHDAD — Iraq reopened the Al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran on Tuesday morning, ending a closure of nearly three weeks that had cut a main trade and passenger route between the two countries, the head of Iraq's Border Ports Authority, al-Waeli, said in a statement carried by the state news agency INA. The crossing, in eastern Maysan province opposite Iran's Chazabeh crossing in Khuzestan, resumed operations at 8 a.m. local time after the required technical procedures were completed.

Source: Reuters, via Arab News, Nov 10 2026

The reopening reverses the October 21 closure of Al-Sheeb and comes days after this site reported that the US Treasury had formally asked Iraq to close all but two of its border crossings with Iran as part of Washington's economic pressure on Tehran. Read the earlier story: US asks Iraq to close all but two Iran border crossings

The Iraqi government shut Al-Sheeb on October 21. Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said at the time that the crossing was not technically ready to operate; Reuters reported the closure came as Baghdad reviewed security and installed detection equipment intended to stop smuggling. Shafaq News reported the closure was ordered on the prime minister's instructions. In Maysan, the closure drew protests on November 5 from drivers, border workers and residents who said it was threatening local livelihoods, according to reports of the demonstrations.

The Border Ports Authority said the reopening followed completion of the technical requirements and procedures needed to keep travellers and goods moving smoothly. It did not connect the decision to the prime minister's recent visit to Iran, MENAFN reported. At the same time, the authority announced that a second crossing with Iran — Mandali, in Diyala province — will close temporarily at 8 a.m. on Friday, November 13, for maintenance and technical work, with its reopening date to be announced once the work is finished; MENAFN reported the Mandali work is also preparation ahead of the rainy season.

A reopening under American pressure

The crossing decision sits inside a wider contest over Iraq's borders with Iran. Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Al Jazeera on November 7 that the US Treasury had formally asked Baghdad to close all but two of its crossings with Iran, and that discussions with Washington were continuing. Iraq depends on Iranian trade and energy links, while the United States is pressing Baghdad to limit movement and commerce with Tehran during the US-Iran war and the continuing restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz.

No US or Iranian government statement on the Al-Sheeb reopening had been reported by Tuesday morning. The authority's own framing was administrative — technical readiness, procedures and maintenance — rather than political, and it gave no timeline for how long Mandali will stay shut.

What happens next: Mandali closes on Friday, and the test of Baghdad's balancing act is whether Al-Sheeb stays open while the talks with Washington over the other crossings continue. Any US response, any Iranian comment, or a closure order for further crossings would be a new development on this story.