Iran’s Mehran Border Closed Due to Unrest in Iraq: Official

Mohammad Nozari on Wednesday said the Mehran border crossing has been closed to travelers and exporters until further notice.

The current tensions and unrest in Iraq have caused the closure of the border crossing, the official added.

He further said trucks are not allowed to enter Iraq from the Mehran border until the situation improves but there is no ban on deliveries to trucks on the Iraqi side of the border.

At the start of October, street protests erupted in several Iraqi cities over unemployment and poor public services. The demonstrations resumed on Friday after a pause of about two weeks.

The first round of the protests left more than 150 people dead in Iraq, according to the Interior Ministry.

The demonstrators want the government to take meaningful action aimed at ending the country’s economic woes and fighting corruption in state institutions.

As part of efforts to satisfy the protesters’ demands, Iraq’s parliament on Monday passed a set of measures, including reduced salaries for officials, the formation of a committee tasked with drafting constitutional amendments within four months, and the dissolution of all provincial and local councils outside the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.