Iraqi PM Orders 72-Hour Probe into Maysan Council Chief

The standoff began with a deadline set for Thursday.

On Monday, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, the head of the Maysan provincial council. The move comes after Mohammedawi warned that the southeastern province would resort to civil disobedience if the Sheeb border crossing with Iran remained closed by the weekend.

The dispute centers on the Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, a vital commercial route for truck drivers and traders. Baghdad closed the site last Wednesday, citing a need for improved technical and logistical infrastructure. Haidar al-Aboudi, the government spokesperson, stated that the location lacked necessary technological preparations. A border official told Reuters that the pause would allow authorities to install detection equipment and review security measures against the smuggling of prohibited materials.

Mohammedawi argued that the closure effectively cuts Maysan off from the rest of the country. In a statement, he said that if the crossing did not reopen, the people of the province would be forced to block all roads. Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban, an adviser to the prime minister, claimed that drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings. He pointed to "uncontrolled groups" as the source of the issue, a description often used for Iranian-backed militias.

Iran’s embassy in Baghdad rejected those allegations on Saturday. The embassy called the claims false and urged Iraqi officials to be careful with statements that could harm bilateral relations. Militias are believed to have used an area near the crossing to target Saudi Arabia in September.

The legal basis for the investigation is being challenged. Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji, a lawmaker, questioned whether Zaidi has the authority to probe an elected council chairman. He argued that only the provincial council can remove its chairman by majority vote.

In the capital, renewed tensions emerged on October 25. Demonstrators gathered to mark the anniversary of the Tishreen movement, which started in October 2019. Participants waved Iraqi flags and demanded political and economic reforms. The protests were driven by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption, unemployment, and the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas.

Rights organizations state that more than 600 protesters were killed, about 20,000 were injured, and roughly 3,000 were arrested during the original movement. The Badr Organization was among the groups accused of suppressing those demonstrations. Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of Badr, defended the armed groups in late August. He described the protests as sedition and said the Islamic Resistance in Iraq helped preserve the political order.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi, an activist and journalist, called for justice over the killings and criticized the concentration of political power. The National House party, linked to the Tishreen movement, urged peaceful demonstrations and demanded that weapons be brought under state control. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of pro-Iran armed factions, accused the government of yielding to Washington on border and flight issues.

The closure of the Sheeb crossing has disrupted trade in Maysan, a Shiite-majority province with the commercial hub of Amarah near the border. Truck drivers who depend on cross-border commerce gathered near the site to protest the decision.