Iraq closes three Iran crossings after drone launch

Baghdad, Iraq has closed three border crossings with Iran in the wake of a drone attack on a Saudi Arabian pipeline, officials confirmed to AFP. The decision came after the drone strike, which both Saudi Arabia and Iraq attributed to being launched from Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi swiftly removed the military commander in Missan province, where the border crossing is located, following the investigation into the drone's origin.

No militant group has asserted responsibility for the attack, yet the alliance of powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed groups denied involvement despite the accusation from Riyadh. A security source and government official revealed that authorities ordered the closures to track down the perpetrators, prevent their escape, and thwart drone smuggling through these crossings.

The closed crossings are Shalamsheh in Basra province, al-Shib in Missan, and al-Mandali in the central province of Diyala. Other border crossings with Iran remain open. The government's security media cell announced that authorities have initiated reorganization efforts at several border crossings, ramping up intelligence activities to determine the breaches and violations that occurred at these points.

Passengers stranded for hours at two crossings were later permitted to pass. In July, the United States and Saudi Arabia reported targeting Iranian-backed militants in Iraq in retaliation for assaults on US forces and Saudi oil installations. Pro-Iranian armed groups have backed Tehran during the ongoing Middle East conflict, claiming hundreds of attacks on US bases in Iraq and beyond.

On Saturday, these groups, operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, denied responsibility for the pipeline strike, stating, "Accusations against the Iraqi resistance regarding the targeting of vital Saudi installations on Friday are an honor that we do not claim." Facing mounting US pressure, Zaidi pledged to ensure armed factions surrender their weapons to the state, a move that has intensified tensions as several groups refuse to disarm.