Iraqi authorities announced on Sunday a timeline to reopen three crossings with Iran, a day after closing them following a drone attack originating from their shared border on a Saudi pipeline.
Shalamsheh and al-Shib reopened to passengers on Sunday but not to trade, the government media cell said. The government then closed three crossings, citing the need to reorganise operations and boost intelligence efforts to stop violations.
The government’s security media cell said Sunday that “after reviewing operations at the border crossings,” they would gradually reopen for passengers and trade on a timeline from Sunday until Thursday. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and an alliance of Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions said they hadn’t struck the pipeline, though Riyadh had previously accused Iraqi groups of targeting its oil infrastructure. In July, the United States and Saudi Arabia said they had struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities.
