A government decision officially puts the closure of the “Mandali-Sumar” border crossing with Iran into effect.
A government decision officially puts the closure of the “Mandali-Sumar” border crossing with Iran into effect.
2026-11-13
Shafaq News – Diyala
A source in the Iraqi Border Ports Authority stated that the federal government’s decision to close the Mandali-Sumar international border crossing in Diyala Governorate has come into effect as of Friday morning and until further notice.
The source confirmed to Shafaq News Agency that the closure of the Mandali border crossing, which borders the Iranian-Iraqi border, came after the opening of the Al-Shaib crossing in Maysan Governorate.
This comes in conjunction with the announcement by the head of the Iraqi Border Ports Authority, Omar Al-Waili, of the reopening of the Al-Shaib border crossing with Iran in Maysan Governorate, starting on the morning of Tuesday, November 10, while it was decided to close the Mandali crossing in Diyala Governorate temporarily starting from Friday.
The decision came about three weeks after the closure of the Al-Shaib border crossing on October 21, by a decision of the federal government, which attributed the move to the lack of technical and technological readiness of the crossing and the need to develop its operational capabilities.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Al Jazeera last Saturday that the US Treasury Department had officially asked Baghdad to close all its border crossings with Iran except for two, one of which is in the Kurdistan Region, as part of Washington’s policy to increase economic pressure on Tehran. He noted that Baghdad had informed Tehran that it accepts friendship and alliance with it, but rejects interference in its affairs.
The closure sparked protests in Maysan province, involving truck drivers and workers in the transport and trade sector, amid warnings of the repercussions of halting trade on local markets and rising prices of some goods, while the dispute between the federal government and the provincial council over the continued closure of the crossing intensified.
The border crossings with Iran had witnessed closure and reorganization procedures during September, before the Security Media Cell announced a schedule for resuming the movement of travelers and trade exchange at the Shalamcheh, Shib and Mandali crossings, following a review of the security and technical procedures and the updating of the systems adopted therein.
shafaq.com
