Iraq says US asks it to shut most border crossings with Iran
Iraq's foreign minister said Baghdad is negotiating with Washington, which wants only one or two crossings kept open, and warned of heavy economic costs.
Washington has asked Baghdad to shut every border crossing with Iran except two, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported on Sunday.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the US Treasury made the request as part of efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
Hussein said the two crossings that would stay open would be one in the Kurdish Region and another elsewhere in the country, though neither has been chosen yet.
He warned that shutting the crossings would hurt Iraq's economy as well as Iran's, because trade and movement would come to a halt.
"We are in talks with them," Hussein said, referring to the American side.
Hussein said it remains unclear whether the restrictions would apply to visitors, commercial shipments or all cross-border movement.
Iraq shares its longest border with Iran, which runs from the Kurdish Region in the north to Basra in the south, with both official and unofficial crossings along the way, he said.
The US Central Command, known as CENTCOM, announced on Saturday a new task force designed to disrupt Iran's use of land routes to move advanced weapons and other materials.
Hussein estimated that Iraq lost about $60 billion after it could not export oil through the Strait of Hormuz for roughly four months at the start of the war.
Before the disruption, Iraq was exporting around 3.3 million to 3.4 million barrels of oil a day, he said.
Hussein also warned that military operations could resume in the region and said Baghdad opposes the use of Iraqi territory to attack neighboring countries.
He said Iraq and Iran are jointly investigating an attack on Saudi Arabia that, based on information received by Baghdad, was launched from inside Iraq near the Iranian border.
On Iraqi armed factions, Hussein said the prime minister has reached understandings with four groups on bringing their weapons under state control, while talks continue with two others.
"We hope to bring weapons under state control through dialogue and negotiations," he said.
