Shia pilgrims pass through the Iran-Iraq Shalamcheh border crossing to the southern Iraqi city of Basra on October 12, 2019. (AFP)
Iraq closed its southern Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran to travelers from both countries on Saturday, an Iraqi security source and an Iranian diplomat said.
The security source said Tehran had demanded the closure because of ongoing public protests in both Iran and Iraq.
The border would remain shut until further notice but would not affect goods or trade, the security source and the diplomat said.
Several protests erutped across Iranian cities on Saturday, with many protesters blocking main roads with their cars and burning tires while chanting “Death to the dictator,” a day after the government announced a surprise decision to ration and hike the price of petrol.
