Iraqi PM Orders Probe After Maysan Leader Threatens Road Blockade

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

The probe targets Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi following his threat to block roads linking the southeastern province to the rest of the country.

Mohammedawi issued the warning on Sunday, stating that Maysan would resort to civil disobedience if the Sheeb border crossing with Iran remained closed past 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.

Baghdad closed the Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, last Wednesday.

Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi stated 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 move aims to stop the smuggling of prohibited materials through the commercial route.

Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban, an adviser to the prime minister, claimed drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings.

He cited uncontrolled groups, a term often used for Iranian-backed militias, as the primary actors.

Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday.

The embassy called the claims false and urged Iraqi authorities to respond to statements that could harm bilateral relations in a statement released that day. Militias have previously used the area near the crossing to target Saudi Arabia in September, according to reports cited by Rudaw. Maysan is a Shiite-majority province where cross-border trade is vital to the local economy. Truck drivers dependent on this trade gathered near the crossing to protest the closure. 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. The protests were driven largely by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption and unemployment. They also opposed the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas for distributing positions and resources. Rights organizations say more than 600 protesters were killed during the movement, about 20,000 were injured and around 3,000 were arrested. The Badr Organization was among the groups accused of suppressing the protests. Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri called 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 called for peaceful demonstrations to end corruption and bring weapons under state control. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq accused the government of yielding to Washington's demands on border crossings.