(Reuters) – Iraq has closed the Shalamcheh border crossing with after airstrikes from the Iranian side killed an Iraqi citizen, security sources said on Saturday, closing a vital supply artery.
The crossing serves as one of the main routes for importing vegetables and other foods from Iran into Iraq, according to traders and border officials. Any prolonged disruption could quickly affect supply to local markets.
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The sources said at least five Iraqis were seriously injured in the attacks, which hit a passenger reception area on the Iranian side.
Iraqi police recovered the body of a man, while the injured were taken to hospital, most of them in critical condition.
Iraqi border authorities said they were notified by Iranian authorities that truck and passenger movement would be restored in the coming hours as soon as work on the transit and passport systems was completed.
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Just hours after the attacks near Shalamcheh, Iraqi border authorities also briefly halted movement at the Safwan crossing into Kuwait after reporting explosions on the Kuwaiti side, Iraqi security and border officials said.
Authorities added that they saw drones hovering overhead moments before the explosions.
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(Reporting by Aref Mohammed in Basra; additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; editing by Alison Williams and Toby Chopra)
