Zaidi Probes Maysan Council Head After Road Blockade Threat

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation on Monday into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, the head of Maysan's provincial council. The move follows threats by Mohammedawi to block roads connecting the southeastern province to the rest of Iraq. On Sunday, Mohammedawi warned that Maysan would resort to civil disobedience if the Sheeb border crossing with Iran did not reopen by Thursday. He stated that the province could be effectively cut off if the route remained closed.

Baghdad closed the Sheeb crossing, known as Chazabeh in Iran, last Wednesday. Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi cited a lack of necessary technical and technological preparations for the closure. An Iraqi border official told Reuters that authorities need time to review security arrangements and install detection equipment to stop the smuggling of prohibited materials.

The closure has strained relations between Baghdad and Tehran. 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 used for Iranian-backed militias. Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday, calling them false and urging Iraqi authorities to respond carefully to statements that could harm bilateral relations.

Protesters, including truck drivers dependent on cross-border trade, gathered near the closed crossing. Lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji questioned Zaidi's legal authority to investigate an elected council chairman. 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 Tishreen movement, which began in October 2019. Participants waved Iraqi flags and called for political and economic reforms. The protests were driven largely by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption, unemployment, and poor services. They also opposed the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas for distributing positions and resources.

Rights organizations report that more than 600 protesters were killed during the 2019 movement, about 20,000 were injured, and around 3,000 were arrested. Iranian-backed groups, including the Badr Organization, were accused of suppressing the protests. Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri recently defended those groups, calling the protests sedition and stating that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq had 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, linked to the Tishreen movement, called for peaceful demonstrations and renewed demands to end corruption, reform the political system, and bring weapons under state control.