US asks Iraq to shut most Iran border crossings, Iraqi foreign minister says


Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks during a press conference with Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq, June 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Nov 8 (Reuters) - ⁠The US Treasury has ⁠asked Iraq to close all ‌border crossings with Iran except for two as part of Washington's policy ​of increasing economic pressure ⁠on Tehran, ⁠Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said ⁠in ‌an interview with Al Jazeera.

One of the ⁠exceptions is in the Kurdistan region.

"There ​are ‌many official and unofficial border ⁠crossings ​with Iran, and closing all of them would be difficult ⁠and would affect our ​economy. The Americans are still demanding the closure of the crossings, ⁠and we are currently in discussions with them," Hussein said.

Last month, Iraq closed the ​busy Sheeb border ⁠crossing with Iran to review ​security and install ‌detection equipment to stop ​smuggling.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

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