Iraqi PM Orders Maysan Probe

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

The move follows a warning issued on Sunday that the province would resort to civil disobedience and block roads unless the Sheeb border crossing with Iran reopened by Thursday. Mohammedawi stated that if the gate remained closed, Maysan would be forced to cut itself off from the rest of the country.

Baghdad closed the Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, last Wednesday. Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi explained that the site lacked necessary technical and technological preparations. An Iraqi border official told Reuters that the pause allows authorities to review security arrangements and install detection equipment to stop the smuggling of prohibited materials.

Adviser Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban claimed drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings. He referenced uncontrolled groups, a term often used for Iranian-backed militias, which reportedly used an area near the crossing to target Saudi Arabia in September. Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday, calling them false.

Lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji questioned the legal basis for Zaidi's probe. He argued that only the provincial council can remove its chairman by majority vote, not the prime minister. Truck drivers and other protesters gathered near the crossing, highlighting the economic stakes for the Shiite-majority province where cross-border trade is vital to the local economy.

Simultaneously, demonstrators returned to Baghdad on October 25 to mark the anniversary of the 2019 Tishreen movement. Shafaq News reported that 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 cited by Rudaw state that more than 600 protesters were killed during the original movement, with about 20,000 injured and 3,000 arrested. The Badr Organization, accused of a role in the suppression, recently defended its actions. Leader Hadi al-Amiri called the protests sedition in late August. Activist Muntadhar al-Zaidi called for justice over the killings and criticized the concentration of political power. The National House party urged peaceful demonstrations to end corruption and bring weapons under state control.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq accused the government of yielding to Washington regarding border crossings and flights involving Iran. Zaidi faces the task of enforcing the law and securing borders without becoming hostage to competing political and armed factions.