Iraqi PM Investigates Maysan Council Head After Road Blockade Threat

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the head of Maysan's provincial council on Monday.

The probe targets Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, who issued a warning on Sunday that the province would resort to civil disobedience if the Sheeb border crossing with Iran did not reopen by Thursday. Mohammedawi stated that the people of Maysan would be forced to block roads if the deadline passed, potentially cutting the province off from the rest of Iraq.

Baghdad closed the Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, last Wednesday. Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi said 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 to stop the smuggling of prohibited materials. Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban, an adviser to the prime minister, claimed drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings. He also pointed to uncontrolled groups, a term often used for Iranian-backed militias. Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday, calling them false.

The Sheeb crossing is a key commercial route for Maysan, a Shiite-majority province whose capital, Amarah, relies heavily on trade with Iran. Truck drivers dependent on this trade gathered near the closed crossing. Lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji questioned the legal basis for the investigation, arguing that only the provincial council can remove its elected chairman by majority vote.

These tensions coincide with renewed street protests in Baghdad on October 25. Demonstrators marked the anniversary of the 2019 Tishreen movement, which began in October 2019. Participants waved Iraqi flags and called for political and economic reforms. The protests are driven largely by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption, unemployment, poor services, and the influence of political factions. They also oppose the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas for distributing positions and resources.

Rights organizations cited by Rudaw report that more than 600 protesters were killed, about 20,000 were injured, and around 3,000 were arrested during the original movement. Iranian-backed groups suppressed the protests, with the Badr Organization accused of a role. Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri recently defended those groups, calling the protests sedition at an event in late August. Activist Muntadhar al-Zaidi called for justice over the killings and criticized the concentration of political power. The National House party, linked to the Tishreen movement, called for peaceful demonstrations to end corruption and bring weapons under state control.