Baghdad Will Not Let Iraq Threaten Neighbors, Spokesman Says
Iraqi government spokesman Haidar Al-Aboudi says the Al-Sheeb crossing with Iran closed for technical upgrades and denies Houthi headquarters exist inside Iraq.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iraq will not allow its territory to be used to threaten neighboring countries, government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said Wednesday, as he explained the closure of the Al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran and rejected reports of a Houthi headquarters inside the country.
In a statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), al-Aboudi said the suspension of operations at the Al-Sheeb crossing is a step toward raising the border point’s logistical and technical readiness.
The closure, he said, was due to technical unpreparedness and ongoing development work. He added that several other border crossings remain open and that trade with Iran continues normally and without problems.
Addressing reports that claim a Houthi headquarters exists inside Iraq, the government spokesman categorically rejected the rumors. “No such designated headquarters exists inside Iraq.
The matter requires no government decision or position on an issue that does not exist in the first place, but some people insist on repeating the propaganda circulating on social media,” al-Aboudi said.
He reiterated that the presence of armed groups linked to other countries inside Iraq contradicts constitutional principles.
“Iraq will not become a platform for attacking neighboring countries, and it does not take responsibility for embracing any armed group that takes part in a particular conflict,” he said.
On border security, al-Aboudi revealed that high-level coordination is under way with Türkiye to settle the file of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and remove its fighters from Iraqi territory.
With Iran, he said, coordination continues through a high-level committee to settle the file of Iranian Kurdish opposition members present in the Kurdistan Region.
al-Aboudi concluded by stressing that these official steps and directions confirm that Baghdad does not allow any foreign armed person to remain on its territory and will not become a source of threat to any of its neighbors.