The Iranian embassy in Baghdad denied today, Saturday, the statements made by the advisor to Prime Minister Abdul Amir Taiban regarding the reasons for closing the Al-Shib border crossing, describing them as "false claims," and calling on the relevant Iraqi authorities to take an official stance regarding these statements, which they believe harm bilateral relations between the two countries.
In a brief statement published by the Iranian embassy on its account on “X”, which was seen by the "News Video Agency," it stated, “The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Iraq strongly denies the false claims made by Abdul Amir Taiban, advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, regarding the closure of the Al-Shib crossing under the pretext of drug and counterfeit currency proliferation.”
The statement added that “the embassy expects the relevant authorities to take a stance regarding claims that harm the relations between the two countries.”
Advisor to the government Abdul Amir Taiban confirmed on Wednesday that the decision to close the Al-Shib border crossing with Iran was taken as an emergency measure to stop the flow of drugs and counterfeit money and fake dinar and dollar prints with advanced techniques into the southern provinces like Al-Amarah and Nasiriyah, describing these violations as “more dangerous than missiles” because they kill the people and destroy the national economy.
Taiban explained in a press interview that the violations are backed by “outlaw groups and traders” from the Iranian side, emphasizing that the action is not related to any American pressures or sanctions, as the remaining border crossings along the 1400 km are operating normally, asserting that the closure aims to deploy modern technologies and devices to control the crossings with the participation of intelligence and security agencies, with the possibility of taking similar measures at other crossings.