Iraq will reopen the Sheeb border crossing with Iran on Tuesday morning, the head of the country's Border Ports Authority has said, after the busy crossing was closed last month for security checks and the installation of detection equipment.

The authority will temporarily close the Mandali border crossing with Iran from Friday to complete technical requirements, according to state news agency INA, cited by Reuters.

Sheeb, known as Al-Sheeb on the Iraqi side and Chazabeh on the Iranian side, lies in eastern Maysan province. It is an important route for goods and travellers between the two countries, and its closure disrupted trade and prompted protests in Maysan from truck drivers, border workers and local residents.

Why Sheeb was closed

Iraq closed the crossing last month to review security and install detection equipment to stop smuggling, Reuters reported. Shafaq News reported that the federal government closed Al-Sheeb on 21 October, with government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi citing shortcomings in the crossing's technical readiness and the need to improve its operations.

Border Ports Authority chief Omar al-Waeli said Al-Sheeb would resume operations once the required technical procedures were complete. Mandali, a trade crossing in Diyala province, will close on 13 November to allow its technical requirements to be completed, he said.

The closure drew protests in Maysan, where drivers and workers in transport and trade demanded the crossing reopen. Shafaq News reported that the disruption prompted warnings of harm to local markets and higher prices for some goods, and deepened a dispute between the federal government and the Maysan Provincial Council.

US pressure over Iran crossings

The announcement comes after Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said the US Treasury had asked Baghdad to close all border crossings with Iran except for two, as part of Washington's efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran.

"There are many official and unofficial border crossings with Iran, and closing all of them would be difficult and would affect our economy. The Americans are still demanding the closure of the crossings, and we are currently in discussions with them," Hussein told Al Jazeera, according to Reuters.

Hussein said the US proposal would keep one crossing open in the Kurdistan region and one in the rest of Iraq. Iraq's Badr parliamentary bloc rejected the US demand on Sunday, urging the government to reopen the crossings immediately.

It was not immediately clear whether the planned reopening of Sheeb or the temporary closure of Mandali was related to the US request, Reuters reported.

What happens next

Sheeb is due to reopen on Tuesday morning, 10 November, with Mandali closing temporarily from Friday, 13 November. Traders and transport workers in Maysan will be watching whether the reopening eases the disruption that followed the closure, and whether Baghdad reaches any agreement with Washington over the wider network of crossings with Iran.