Iraq Tightens Security Amid US-Iran War Fears, Boosts Border Checks and Emergency Plans

Iraq has tightened security and prepared emergency steps as concern rises over a new war between the United States and Iran. Iraqi officials told Asharq Al-Awsat that the plans could include online classes and shelter for people forced out by any fighting.

Army commanders now have “exceptional powers” to act immediately against armed violations, the Arab newspaper reported, and they do not need prior clearance from Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. A senior Iraqi security official said monitoring has been stepped up on sensitive sections of the Iranian and Syrian frontiers.

The tighter posture comes as Washington presses Baghdad to limit movement across its frontier with Iran. The steps show Iraq’s concern that a wider conflict could spill across its borders and draw in armed groups operating on its soil.

Border Security Measures

Security forces are carrying out round-the-clock checks for unusual movements, the senior Iraqi security official said, as reported by Asharq Al-Awsat. Additional troops have also been deployed in border cities.

The monitoring operation stretches from Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan in the north to Basra in the south, the official said. The army has also reinforced its presence along the Syrian border.

Basra is drawing close attention. The official said authorities are watching the southern province because armed groups operate in areas of strategic sensitivity.

US Border Pressure

Washington wants crossings reduced.

Reuters reported that the US asked Iraq on Sunday to close all but two crossings on its border with Iran, citing Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein. Hussein said Washington wants one crossing in the Kurdistan region and one more elsewhere in Iraq to stay open.

“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.

Reuters reported that Iraq shut the Sheeb border crossing with Iran last month to reassess security measures and fit equipment that can spot smuggling.

Baghdad's Regional Concerns

On Saturday, Hussein said Iraq was probing attacks carried out from its soil against neighbouring Gulf countries. He also said Baghdad was holding talks with Iran-aligned armed groups to place their weapons under state control.

Iraq had postponed its deadline for armed factions to hand over their weapons to June 2027 after resistance to the move.

On November 5, Al-Zaidi told US President Donald Trump that Iraq would not let its land be used for attacks on neighbouring countries, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said. The office added that the two leaders discussed regional developments, security concerns and ways to prevent the war from spreading.

The prime minister called for “respect for the sovereignty of states and for Iraqi territory not to be used as a launching point for attacks against neighbouring countries,” according to the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Fears Of Escalation

Iraqi officials have expressed concern that armed factions could join the war on Iran’s side if the fighting escalates, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The newspaper added that political officials were worried by reports that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was urging armed groups to prepare for possible retaliation.

On November 4, Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani as saying resistance leaders had received a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei calling on them to “confront the enemy without limits”. Tasnim reported that Qaani said the groups had started putting that message into practice through a written declaration of complete allegiance.

A political source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Al-Zaidi had informed the Coordination Framework, an alliance of major Shiite political groups, about the possibility of a US attack on Iran.

He also raised concerns that Iran-backed groups linked to the alliance could launch attacks in support of Tehran, the source said