Iraq closes 3 border crossings with Iran after drone attack on Saudi gas pipeline

Iraq has closed three border crossings with Iran following a drone attack on a Saudi Arabian gas pipeline that Riyadh and Baghdad say was launched from Iraqi territory.

Border crossings were closed on Saturday, a day after the attack, as Iraqi authorities stepped up efforts to identify those responsible and prevent the perpetrators from fleeing the country.

Following Friday night’s attack, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi fired the military commander in Missan province, on the border with Iran, after authorities determined that drones had been launched from the area.

Two Iraqi security sources said drone launchers were discovered near a border crossing in Missan on Saturday.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. However, an alliance of powerful Iraqi armed groups backed by Iran denied carrying out the attack, despite Saudi Arabia’s earlier accusations that such groups had targeted its oil infrastructure.

Three intersections closed

An Iraqi security source and a government official said authorities had ordered the closure of three border crossings with Iran as part of the investigation.

The security source said the decision was “part of an intelligence effort to track down the perpetrators and prevent their escape… and to thwart the smuggling of drones through these crossings.”

The sources, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to the media, were unable to say when the crossings will reopen.

The affected crossings are Shalamsheh in Basra province, al-Shib in Missan and al-Mandali in the central province of Diyala.

Other border crossings between Iraq and Iran remain open.

Drone launchers were reportedly found

A security official said security forces discovered drone launchers near the Iraq-Iran border in the al-Tib region, a remote part of Missan near the al-Shib crossing.

A second security source confirmed the discovery.

The development has increased pressure on Iraqi authorities to determine how the drones were launched and whether armed groups operating inside the country were involved in the attack.

Zaidi’s military spokesman, Sabah al-Numan, said the prime minister approved “Iran’s request to conduct a joint investigation to find drone launch pads near the Iraq-Iran border.”

Iraq’s security media unit had previously announced that authorities had begun “administrative and security reorganization operations at several border crossings.”

Intelligence activities have also been intensified to ascertain “the infringements and violations that have taken place at these crossings”.

Authorities later announced that passengers who had been stuck for hours at two border crossings could continue their journey.

Iran-backed groups deny involvement

The incident comes amid growing regional tensions involving Iran and its allies.

In July, the United States and Saudi Arabia said they carried out strikes against Iranian-backed militants in Iraq in response to attacks on U.S. forces and Saudi oil facilities.

Pro-Iranian armed groups have supported Tehran throughout the Middle East conflict and have claimed responsibility for hundreds of attacks on US bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.

Groups operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq on Saturday denied responsibility for the latest attack on the pipeline.

“It is an honor we do not claim,” the Islamic Resistance said in a statement.

The denial came as Iraqi authorities continued their investigation into the attack and the alleged use of Iraqi territory to launch the drones.

Pressure is mounting on the Iraqi government

The incident is likely to increase pressure on Zaidi’s government as it seeks to assert state control over armed factions operating in Iraq.

Under growing pressure from the United States, Zaidi pledged to ensure that armed factions surrender their weapons to the state.

The issue has contributed to increased tensions in recent weeks, with several armed groups refusing to disarm.

The closure of the three crossings and the discovery of drone launchers near the Iranian border are expected to be part of authorities’ broader efforts to establish how the attack was carried out and identify those responsible.