Iraqi PM probes Maysan council head after road blockade threat

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi faces a dual crisis involving a provincial standoff and renewed street protests in the capital. On Monday, Zaidi ordered an investigation into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, the head of Maysan's provincial council.

The probe follows a warning issued by Mohammedawi on Sunday. He stated that Maysan would resort to civil disobedience on all roads if the Sheeb border crossing was not reopened by Thursday. He added that the province could effectively be cut off from the rest of the country. Truck drivers who rely on trade with Iran gathered near the crossing to support the demand.

The Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, serves as a key commercial route. Baghdad closed the site last Wednesday, citing the need for better technical and logistical infrastructure. Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi noted that the site lacked necessary technological preparations. An Iraqi border official told Reuters that the closure allows authorities to review security arrangements and install detection equipment to stop smuggling.

Adviser Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban claimed that drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings. He referenced uncontrolled groups, a term often used for Iranian-backed militias. Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday, calling them false and warning that such statements could harm bilateral relations.

Legal questions surround Zaidi's authority to investigate an elected official. Lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji argued that only the provincial council can remove its chairman by majority vote. The move occurs in Maysan, a Shiite-majority province where the capital Amarah functions as a commercial hub dependent on cross-border trade.

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. Shafaq News reported that activists criticized the concentration of power and the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas. Rights organizations say more than 600 protesters were killed during the original movement, with about 20,000 injured and 3,000 arrested.

Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri recently defended the groups accused of suppressing the 2019 protests. He described the demonstrations as sedition and said the Islamic Resistance in Iraq helped preserve the political order. The National House party has called for peaceful demonstrations to end corruption and bring weapons under state control.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella of pro-Iran armed groups, has accused the government of yielding to Washington regarding border crossings and flights. Zaidi must now navigate these competing demands while enforcing the law and securing the country's borders.