Iraq denies presence of Houthi bases, says territory will not be used to threaten neighbors

Iraq denied Wednesday reports of Houthi bases on its territory, stressing that it would not allow its land to be used to threaten neighboring countries, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said there were no Houthi headquarters or bases in Iraq, affirming that Baghdad would not allow its territory to be used to threaten neighboring countries.

He said Iraq would not host any armed group involved in a particular conflict.

According to Iraqi news outlet Ultra Iraq, Aboudi also dismissed reports circulating on social media about the presence of Houthi bases, saying the government had no reason to take action against facilities that did not exist.

He stressed that the presence of armed groups from other countries on Iraqi territory violates constitutional principles.

"Iraq will not serve as a launching point for attacks against neighboring countries, nor will it host any armed group participating in a particular conflict," he said.

Separately, Aboudi confirmed that Iraqi authorities had closed the al-Sheib border crossing with Iran due to a lack of technical, technological and infrastructure readiness.

He said the closure was intended to improve the crossing's technical and logistical capabilities, noting that trade with Iran continues smoothly through several other border crossings.

Iraqi authorities closed the crossing early Wednesday, suspending passenger and cargo traffic until further notice.

Ultra Iraq cited a source within Iraq's Coordination Framework as saying that the closure was ordered by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to review security arrangements at the crossing.

The source claimed that the measure was also aimed at curbing dollar smuggling and was unrelated to US sanctions against Iran.

On the Iranian side, Valiollah Hayati, deputy governor of Khuzestan province for security affairs, confirmed that the Chazabeh crossing, known as al-Sheib in Iraq, was closed to passenger and commercial traffic until further notice, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency.

He said travelers and businesses should use the Shalamcheh border crossing while Iranian authorities coordinate with Iraq to reopen Chazabeh.