At a Glance

• The Iraqi Prime Minister launched an official probe into Maysan Council Chairman over incendiary regional threats.

• Duair demanded the federal government reopen the Al-Sheeb border crossing within three days or face total provincial civil disobedience.

• Baghdad condemned the Chairman's "inappropriate language" and referred the case to legal authorities to uphold state administrative procedures.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi ordered an official investigation on Monday into Maysan Provincial Council Chairman Mustafa Duair following threats to cut the province off from Iraq.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• The Prime Minister’s Media Office announced that al-Zaidi “directed an investigation into the Chairman of the Maysan Provincial Council, Mustafa Duair Abdulhassan, following remarks he made yesterday.”

• “His remarks also included inappropriate language,” al-Zaidi's office said.

Following remarks made by Maysan Provincial Council Chairman Mustafa Duair during a press conference yesterday, al-Zaidi's office stressed that the Chairman "threatened to declare a state of civil disobedience if demands to reopen the al-Sheeb border crossing were not met.”

The directive underscores the federal government's insistence on "upholding the law and following established constitutional and administrative procedures" when managing regional public service disputes. Consequently, the Prime Minister’s office has deferred the final decision regarding "any legal liability arising from the remarks to the relevant authorities."

During the press conference, Duair issued a strict three-day deadline to the federal government to reopen the Al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran.

He warned that if authorities failed to comply, the province would launch a campaign of civil disobedience, block major roads, and effectively "cut Maysan off" from the rest of Iraq.

Describing the crossing as an economic lifeline for the region, the Chairman utilized what the government later condemned as "inappropriate language" to protest the shutdown.

FYI

On October 20, the Iraqi federal government ordered the indefinite closure of the Al-Sheeb border crossing, a vital trade route connecting Iraq’s Maysan Governorate with Iran's Khuzestan province.

Baghdad officially cited technical reasons and a necessary security review to install automated detection equipment aimed at halting the smuggling of narcotics, counterfeit currency, and prohibited materials.

Reports also indicated ongoing pressure to implement broader technological oversight, such as the ASYCUDA customs system, to combat corruption and enforce state control over international borders.

Faced with escalating local unrest, Maysan Governor Habib Dhahir Al-Fartousi and several federal lawmakers formally urged Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi to urgently lift the ban.

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