Iraq halts Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran after airstrike

Shafaq News- Basra

Iraqi authorities have “completely halted” passenger movement and commercial activity at the Shalamcheh land border crossing with Iran after an airstrike hit the passport building on the Iranian side, a local official told Shafaq News on Saturday.

Aqeel Al-Furaiji, head of the Security Committee in Basra Provincial Council, noted that authorities are awaiting security assessments to evaluate the situation, adding that operations will not resume if safety risks persist. “The crossing will remain closed until further notice.”

Basra MP Uday Awad Al-Tamimi, meanwhile, accused Kuwait of carrying out “repeated” attacks targeting the international border crossing. In a statement, he described the strike on the passenger hall as a “blatant act of aggression,” holding the Kuwaiti side responsible for what he called “serious damage and risk” to Iraq and its citizens.

Earlier today, Shafaq News security sources indicated that an unidentified drone struck the Majnoon oil field in western Basra, hitting offices belonging to KBR, an American energy services company operating at the site, while a warplane hit the commercial exchange yard at the Shalamcheh crossing in eastern Basra, killing one Iraqi traveler and wounding several others.