BAGHDAD - Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan have resisted U.S. pressure to sharply restrict or close their land crossings with Iran, arguing that a broad shutdown would damage trade and risk unrest in border communities.
Washington has been pressing Iran’s neighbors for several weeks to limit Tehran’s overland trade routes, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials cited in the report. The effort is intended to extend economic pressure beyond maritime routes.
Iraq Rejects Near-Total Closure
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said the U.S. Treasury Department asked Baghdad to close every crossing on the Iranian border except two. One would be in the Kurdistan Region, while the location of the second has not been determined.
Baghdad did not accept the request. Hussein said the two countries are connected by numerous official and unofficial routes and that halting trade and travel would hurt Iraq’s economy. Discussions with U.S. officials are continuing.
Iraq temporarily closed the busy Sheib crossing in October to inspect its security system and install equipment intended to detect smuggling. Iraqi authorities, however, have not agreed to an almost complete border shutdown.
Turkey and Pakistan Cite Economic and Security Concerns
Turkey has largely declined to change its border policy. Pakistan has periodically closed individual crossings because of security threats and new import procedures, but it has not imposed a permanent blockade.
Officials in neighboring states warn that stringent restrictions would hit border towns where commerce with Iran supports jobs and household income. An abrupt stop to the movement of goods could trigger public discontent on both sides of the frontier.
U.S. Forms Iron Gate Task Force
U.S. Central Command has created an Iron Gate task force of about 20 military and civilian specialists. It is intended to coordinate U.S. agencies’ efforts to stop shipments of weapons, dual-use goods, sanctioned products and illicit revenue across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea.
U.S. officials say the maritime blockade has already prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion worth of oil. The new mechanism is aimed at land routes Tehran could use to import equipment and sustain foreign trade.
Iron Gate is not intended to conduct independent military operations along the borders. Washington is relying on local governments to act, but resistance from Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan shows that expanding the blockade will be difficult without their cooperation.
Source: Vesti Baku.