Washington Asks Iraq to Keep Only Two Crossings Open With Iran Amid Economic Warning
Key Facts
The U.S. Treasury Department has asked Iraq to close all border crossings with Iran except two, as part of Washington’s policy of increasing economic pressure on Tehran, Reuters reported, citing Iraq’s foreign minister. The minister said one of the two crossings Washington asked to keep open is in the Kurdistan Region. The request puts Baghdad before a border issue tied to its economic relations with Iran and U.S. efforts to limit Iran’s trade revenue. Hussein said Washington was still demanding the crossings be closed and that the Iraqi government was discussing the request with it. The statement did not specify when a decision would be made.
Hussein warned that carrying out the closure would be difficult, pointing to the large number of official and unofficial crossings between the two countries. He said, "It will be difficult and will affect our economy," adding that talks with the Americans were still under way. His warning reflects a potential economic cost for Iraq, which receives Iranian exports across the border. In an earlier statement, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said closing the border would harm both countries because of the volume of Iranian exports entering Iraq. Hussein did not provide a financial estimate of the impact that closing the crossings could have.
The U.S. demand comes as Iraq prepares for the possibility of renewed fighting in the region, according to a report by Asharq Al-Awsat based on security and civilian sources. Sources told the newspaper that Iraq had deployed forces in border cities with Iran, strengthened surveillance, and authorized army commanders to respond immediately to armed violations without referring to the commander-in-chief. A security official said surveillance measures extend along the Iranian border from Sulaymaniyah in the north to Basra in the south, and also include deploying the army along the Syrian border. According to the report, these accounts do not establish that the security measures were taken in response to Washington’s request regarding the crossings. The timing of the two issues shows Baghdad dealing with separate tracks: U.S. pressure on trade borders and security preparations for a possible widening of the regional conflict.
The preparations also extended, according to a civilian official quoted by Asharq Al-Awsat, to the National Security Council discussing the possibility of moving to remote learning, transferring sensitive government records and preserving them digitally, and preparing to receive displaced people from areas of fighting. But a government source told the newspaper it was still too early to make decisions about changing the education system or government working arrangements. The report said the government had drawn up the emergency plan for the first time in March, when the war broke out, and then updated it periodically as conditions changed. According to the information available, officials have not announced executive decisions concerning schools or government offices. These plans remain part of broader civilian preparations for any security developments.
In parallel, Hussein said Baghdad opposed the use of Iraqi territory to launch attacks on neighboring countries, warning that military operations in the region could resume, Reuters reported. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had told U.S. President Donald Trump that Iraqi territory should not be used to launch attacks on neighboring countries, and stressed peaceful solutions. On November 6, EL7.AI published a report on Iraq’s rejection of the use of its territory for attacks and its warning about the consequences of being drawn into war. These statements link Baghdad’s position on the crossings to a broader effort to avoid turning Iraq into an arena for confrontation, without sources attributing that position to the reasons for the border measures. Hussein also pointed to the harm Iraq could suffer if oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz were disrupted again.
Hussein estimated that Iraq had lost about $60 billion after it was unable to export oil through the Strait of Hormuz for about four months at the start of the war, and said exports before the disruption ranged from about 3.3 to 3.4 million barrels per day. These previous losses highlight the Iraqi economy’s exposure to disruptions in oil shipping, alongside the discussion of closing land crossings with Iran. The minister warned that military operations in the region could resume, while the U.S. request remained under discussion between Baghdad and Washington. None of the statements announced a date for concluding the talks or a timeline for implementing the closure. The report also gave no date for decisions on the civilian plans, after government sources said it was too early to do so.