Pakistan Under Pressure to Close Iran Border

Pakistan is under mounting pressure from the United States to close off Iran's land trade routes, as the Trump administration seeks to extend its naval blockade against the country to include land. Despite a recent border blockade between Pakistan and Iran being lifted following a meeting between Pakistani officials and senior Iranian officials, the pressure on Islamabad continues.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Washington is working with Pakistan and Turkey to shut down these land routes, calling it an "absolute isolation campaign" against Tehran. Two key border crossings, Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan in Balochistan, were closed on October 17 due to security concerns, with Iran attributing the closure to technical issues.

This resulted in stranded trucks and disrupted LPG imports, with Iran supplying around 7,000 tons of LPG to Pakistan daily, with 4,000 tons coming through Gabd-Rimdan alone. The US has reportedly encouraged all countries bordering Iran to close their crossings, as Iraq also shut its Sheeb crossing with Iran on October 21. When asked if US pressure was behind the closure, Pakistan's Foreign Office only reiterated its adherence to sanctions regimes without directly addressing the allegations.

The incident has sparked discussions online, with Iranian academic Seyed Mohammad Marandi speculating that Pakistan is under pressure from the Trump administration to close its border with Iran. For now, the Gabd-Rimdan crossing has been reopened for LPG tankers and essential goods, but the timeline for fully resuming normal trade remains uncertain.