Iraqi Prime Minister Launches Investigation Into Maysan Council Head

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation on Monday into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, the chairman of Maysan’s provincial council. The move responds to Mohammedawi’s warning that the province would initiate civil disobedience and block roads unless the Sheeb border crossing reopened by Thursday.

Mohammedawi stated on Sunday that Maysan would be effectively cut off if the crossing remained closed. He declared that residents would be forced to use civil disobedience on all roads if the government did not act. The Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, serves as a vital commercial link between the two nations. Baghdad closed the site last Wednesday, citing a need for improved technical and logistical infrastructure.

Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi explained that the closure allows for the installation of detection equipment to stop smuggling. An Iraqi border official told Reuters that authorities need to review security arrangements. Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban, an adviser to the prime minister, claimed that drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings. He referenced uncontrolled groups, a term often associated with Iranian-backed militias, as the source of the issue.

Iran’s embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday, describing them as false. The embassy urged Iraqi officials to consider how their statements might affect bilateral relations. Maysan is a Shiite-majority province where Amarah serves as a commercial hub near the border. Local truck drivers who depend on cross-border trade gathered near the crossing to protest the closure.

Lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji questioned the legal basis for the prime minister’s investigation. 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 demanded political and economic reforms.

The protests are driven by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption, unemployment, and the influence of political factions. Critics also oppose the muhasasa system, which uses sectarian quotas to distribute positions and resources. Rights organizations reported that more than 600 protesters were killed during the 2019 movement. Approximately 20,000 were injured and 3,000 were arrested.

Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Organization, recently defended the groups that suppressed the earlier protests. He described the demonstrations as sedition and said the Islamic Resistance in Iraq helped preserve the political order. Activist Muntadhar al-Zaidi called for justice over the killings and criticized the concentration of political power. The National House party has called for peaceful demonstrations to end corruption and bring weapons under state control.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has accused the government of yielding to Washington’s demands regarding border crossings and flights. The current standoff tests whether state institutions can enforce the law and secure borders without becoming controlled by competing political and armed factions.