Iraqi border crossing with Iran closed following deadly airstrike

A border point between Iraq and Iran has been struck by an airstrike, leading to one Iraqi civilian's death, as reported by Iran’s state-run news agency Tasnim. Omar al-Waeli, the head of Iraq’s Border Ports, declared that all commercial and passenger traffic through the Shalamcheh crossing has been halted following this incident. This decision was made after an airstrike on the Iranian side, which resulted in one Iraqi citizen being killed and five others injured near the border. Footage shared on social media shows thick black smoke and damage inside the border facilities, with debris scattered everywhere. The Shalamcheh crossing is commonly used by travelers from Iraq and Iran, especially during holiday seasons and religious pilgrimages. During the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, this crossing became a major frontline, with Iraqi forces using it as a primary invasion route, where some of the war's most intense and fatal battles took place.