Zaidi Orders Probe After Maysan Leader Threatens Road Blockade

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation on Monday into Mustafa Daeer Mohammedawi, the head of Maysan's provincial council. The move follows a threat by Mohammedawi to block roads linking the southeastern province to the rest of the country. This standoff occurs as renewed street protests mark the anniversary of the 2019 Tishreen movement in Baghdad.

Mohammedawi warned on Sunday that Maysan would resort to civil disobedience unless the Sheeb crossing with Iran reopened by Thursday. He stated that the people of the province would be forced to take action on all roads if the deadline passed. He added that the province could effectively be cut off from national commerce.

Baghdad closed the Sheeb crossing, known in Iran as Chazabeh, last Wednesday. Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi said the site lacked necessary technical and technological preparations. An Iraqi border official told Reuters that the closure allows authorities to review security and install detection equipment to stop smuggling.

Adviser Abdul Amir Hassan Ali al-Taiban claimed drugs and currency were entering southern Iraq through Iranian crossings. He pointed to uncontrolled groups, a term that may refer to Iranian-backed militias. Iran's embassy in Baghdad rejected these allegations on Saturday, calling them false and urging Iraqi authorities to manage statements that harm bilateral relations.

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 the capital, Amarah, truck drivers and other protesters gathered near the crossing to support the local economy.

In Baghdad, demonstrators gathered on October 25 to mark the start of the Tishreen movement in October 2019. Participants waved flags and called for political and economic reforms. The protests are driven by young Shiite Iraqis frustrated by corruption, unemployment, and the muhasasa system of sectarian quotas.

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. Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Organization, recently defended the suppression of those protests. He called the 2019 demonstrations sedition and said the Islamic Resistance 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 urged peaceful demonstrations to end corruption and bring weapons under state control. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has accused the government of yielding to Washington on border crossings.