Baqaei: Iraqi officials confirmed that U.S. sanctions affect the Iraqi people

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqaei said Iraqi officials told Tehran that U.S. sanctions affect the Iraqi people, calling for the interests of both countries to be taken into consideration in this context.

Baqaei described the U.S. sanctions, during a press conference, as "illegal" and said they are not merely an emotional issue but constitute "a discord in relations between states," with effects extending to the peoples of neighboring countries.

The spokesman added that Iranian embassies and consulates in Iraq are following the issue of reopening the border, with continuous monitoring of the border situation between the two countries.

This comes after the Iraqi government's decision on October 20 to close the al-Shaib border crossing with Iran until further notice, while the Iranian Interior Ministry expressed its displeasure at the decision, saying it had not received prior notification from Baghdad.