Iran

The US has failed to push Iraq, Pakistan and Turkey to close their borders with Iran, undermining Washington’s efforts to restrict Tehran’s land trade routes, a report says. Washington had spent weeks pressuring Iran’s neighbors to shut down their border crossings, but its diplomatic campaign had failed to secure their cooperation, The New York Times reported. The latest effort is part of a broader US economic war on Iran after imposing an illegal naval blockade on its ports.

Tehran has slammed the measures as "economic terrorism" which came after Washington failed to achieve any of its objectives in the war against Iran. Washington is now seeking to close Iran’s land routes, effectively demanding that neighboring countries enforce American sanctions against a country with which they maintain vital economic ties, The Times noted. According to three Iraqi officials and a US official familiar with the discussions, Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan have been the main targets of the pressure campaign, but all three have resisted Washington’s demands.

Iraqi officials told the newspaper that Baghdad had been asked to close all but two of its border crossings with Iran during weekly meetings with US diplomats, including regional envoy Thomas Barrack. Iraq has refused to comply, although it temporarily closed one or two crossings as a gesture to Washington, triggering considerable public anger over restrictions on cross-border commerce. The consequences of a wider closure would be particularly severe for Iraq, which obtains more than one-third of the natural gas used to generate its electricity from Iran.

Turkey has largely refused to change its border policies, while Pakistan has repeatedly opened and closed crossings, with its officials citing security concerns and new electronic import procedures. Pakistan's official annual trade with Iran amounts to around $3 billion, while its dependence on Iranian fuel supplies makes Washington's demands economically damaging for Islamabad. A US official familiar with the discussions acknowledged that shutting down commercial routes could provoke “civil insurrection” among Iraqi, Pakistani, and Turkish communities living along the borders.

The official also warned that Washington’s pressure campaign was generating resentment among regional partners already angered by the US-Israeli war against Iran and its economic and physical consequences. Ellie Geranmayeh, an Iran expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, described Washington as “an unpredictable and, in some cases, unreliable ally,” adding, “Iran is going to be their neighbor.” After failing to secure the border closures through diplomatic pressure, Washington announced the so-called Task Force Iron Gate, a new US Central Command (CENTCOM) scheme involving 20 civilian and military personnel based in Florida.

The task force is intended to prevent the movement of goods across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea. A US military official told the newspaper that the personnel would not conduct military strikes themselves but could encourage the already reluctant neighboring countries to deploy their own forces to restrict cross-border activity. Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi met with Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov on Tuesday to discuss ways to counter US measures, including the Iron Gate scheme.

Iraqi governor: Baghdad never abandons Iran in face of aggression Iraq’s Wasit Province Governor Ali Hassan Salimoun has reaffirmed Baghdad’s support for Iran against foreign aggression, declaring that “neither the Iraqi government nor its people would abandon the Islamic Republic.” Speaking at a joint meeting with Ilam Province Governor, Ahmad Karami, in the Iraqi city of Kut on Thursday, Salimoun said that the Iranian people and armed forces “proved during the recent US and Israeli aggression that they can respond to all foreign powers with strength and stand up to them,” He also conveyed the Iraqi prime minister’s greetings and welcome to the Iranian provincial governor, stressing that Baghdad was “firmly committed to strengthening and expanding cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all sectors and fields.” 🔴 Wasit Governor, Ali Hassan Salimoun: — PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) November 12, 2026 🔺Iraq will not back down from supporting Iran against aggressors. pic.twitter.com/EajPcqCkKu Salimoun highlighted the potential for closer ties between Ilam and Wasit, noting that both provinces host pilgrims visiting the holy shrines in Iraq and possess considerable capacity for cooperation.

Describing the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage as a successful example of cooperation between the two provinces, the governor said their achievements resulted from “field visits and joint decisions to resolve problems and expand coordination.” He identified the establishment of a joint free-trade zone between Iran and Iraq, particularly between Ilam and Wasit, as a major priority for expanding economic ties. “Bilateral cooperation and exchanges, especially in the field of tourism, will increase,” he said, adding that the two sides would “facilitate vehicle movement through a memorandum of understanding.”

Ilam Province shares a 430-kilometer border with Iraq, the longest common provincial border between the two countries. It plays a major role in bilateral trade and religious tourism through the Mehran international border terminal. Located approximately 230 kilometers from Baghdad, Mehran is the closest land route from Iran to the Iraqi capital and the country’s pilgrimage cities, making it an important gateway for economic and religious exchanges.

Kut, the capital of Wasit Province, lies around 90 kilometers from Mehran and 180 kilometers from Ilam.