Iraq Closes Border to SW Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraq has sealed a border crossing with Iran to block entry and exit of Iranian pilgrims through territory, a senior Iranian official said.

“The Iraqi government officially closed the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran Monday night,” said Mehdi Shekar-Ara, a representative of Iran’s Haj and Pilgrimage Organization to Baghdad.

Even Iraqis are not allowed to enter or exit through the border point in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, Shekar-Ara told IRIB.

Iran is trying to facilitate the exit of its pilgrims from Iraq through other border crossings, the Iranian official added.

The IRIB report noted that the Iraqi government sealed off Basra border points Monday as part of the country’s new security plan.