Iraqi PM orders probe after Maysan council head threatens road blockade

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation on Monday into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, the chairman of Maysan's provincial council. The probe comes after Mohammedawi threatened to block roads connecting the southeastern province to the rest of Iraq. He issued the warning on Sunday, stating that Maysan would resort to civil disobedience unless the Sheeb border crossing 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," Mohammedawi said. He added that the province could effectively be cut off from national trade routes. The Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, serves as a key commercial link between the two countries.

Baghdad closed the crossing last Wednesday. Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi stated that the site lacked necessary technical and technological preparations. An Iraqi border official told Reuters that the closure allows authorities to review security arrangements and install detection equipment. The goal is to stop the smuggling of prohibited materials across the border.

Adviser Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban claimed that drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through these crossings. He pointed to "uncontrolled groups," a phrase often used to describe Iranian-backed militias. Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday, calling them false. The embassy urged Iraqi authorities to respond to statements that could harm bilateral relations.

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

In Baghdad, demonstrators gathered on October 25 to mark the anniversary of the 2019 Tishreen movement. Participants waved Iraqi flags and called for political and economic reforms. Shafaq News reported that the protests were driven by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption and poor services. 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 original movement. About 20,000 were injured and around 3,000 were arrested. The Badr Organization was among the groups accused of suppressing the protests. Leader Hadi al-Amiri recently defended those groups, calling the protests "sedition" at an event in late August.