US Pressures Iraq to Tighten Border Control and Block Iran Trade
The US is pressuring Iraq to tighten border controls with Iran to enforce a land blockade, demanding an end to alleged IRGC smuggling activities.
The United States is exerting heavy pressure on Iraq to tighten control over its border with Iran, spanning more than 1,400 kilometers with nine official crossings, amid efforts to enforce a land blockade against Tehran.
According to Arab media reports, Washington demands that Baghdad halt the exploitation of state resources by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), specifically through the smuggling of funds and raw materials across vulnerable frontiers shared with Iraq and Pakistan.
Three senior officials in Baghdad and Erbil confirmed to the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the Trump administration conveyed strict demands regarding border monitoring, including halting unauthorized vehicle movement and unofficial traffic.
A senior Iraqi official revealed that Baghdad received formal warnings supported by aerial photographs and intelligence detailing non-civilian movements aiding Iran. Washington warned that such activities would be treated as IRGC supply routes and hostile actions against the United States.
Meanwhile, members of the Iraqi parliament warned that sealing the borders could severely damage the local economy and spark inflation. Iraqi lawmaker Mukhtar al-Mousawi stated that cutting trade corridors with Tehran without considering economic impacts is unfair and will drive up import prices in Iraq.
