BAGHDAD (Dispatches) -- Iraqi authorities faced mounting pressure on Friday over the closure of the al-Shib border crossing with Iran, as a senior cleric demanded the government either reopen the passage or provide an alternative.
Sadr al-Din al-Qabanji, the Friday prayer leader of Najaf, called on the government to clarify the reasons for its closure. 
He said the closure has caused economic damage to residents of Amara and noted that protests have erupted in the city in response. The crossing was shut on Wednesday on orders from Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, with no reason publicly announced. 
A government source said additional border crossings with Iran could be closed in the coming days.
Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi cited unfinished technical and developmental infrastructure, while Reuters reported, citing border sources, that the decision was linked to a review of security measures and the installation of inspection equipment to prevent smuggling.
The al-Shib shutdown follows a pattern of border and aviation restrictions that have repeatedly triggered popular backlash. In late September and early October, Iraqi authorities suspended commercial flights between Najaf and Iran under pressure linked to U.S. secondary sanctions, prompting mass sit-ins at Najaf International Airport. 
The protests forced the government to reverse course, approving up to 40 daily flights by Iranian airlines to and from Najaf, excluding Mahan Air.  
The latest closure has similarly mobilized public anger. Dozens of lorry drivers and workers demonstrated in Maysan on Thursday, calling the decision unjust and warning it would harm livelihoods dependent on cross-border trade.
The government has sought to portray the move as a security and technical review, but the timing has drawn scrutiny.
Al-Qabanji also said official reports indicate Israeli aircraft are violating Iraqi airspace, describing this as a breach of sovereignty and calling on the government to take a serious stance.
Those reports align with earlier disclosures of joint U.S.-Israeli military maneuvers over Iraqi territory. Media sources reported that F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, accompanied by aerial refueling aircraft, conducted exercises over Iraq on the night of October 12. 
The drills directly contradicted Iraq’s declared neutrality and its commitment not to allow its territory or airspace to be used as a platform for attacks against neighboring countries, particularly Iran. 
No official Iraqi protest was lodged at the time, prompting criticism that Washington maintains complete control over Iraqi skies. 
An Iraqi parliamentary security committee member later confirmed that American and Israeli aircraft were patrolling Iraqi airspace without deterrent action, calling it a clear threat given their proximity to the Iranian border.