ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq and Kuwait reopened their main official border crossing on Sunday after a temporary closure triggered by recent security incidents, an Iraqi border official told Rudaw.
Alaa al-Din al-Qaisi, director of media and relations at Iraq's Border Ports Commission, told Rudaw’staff Nahro Mohammed that "The al-Abdali border crossing has been officially reopened, and at the same time, operations have resumed at the Safwan border crossing in Basra province."
The reopening follows Kuwait’s decision to enact a temporary closure over the Abdali border crossing on Thursday after it was struck by a drone.
The Abdali (Kuwaiti side) and Safwan (Iraqi side) crossing links the Iraqi town of Safwan in Basra to Kuwait's al-Jahra province and operates as Iraq's main land border with Kuwait, serving as a key route for passenger travel, commercial goods, and bilateral trade.
According to Qaisi, necessary procedures have been completed to be able to safely facilitate the movement of travelers and boost trade with neighboring countries.
The decision came a day after Kuwaiti Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad al-Yousef met Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani at the Safwan crossing. Both sides stressed the importance of continued coordination to ensure the safe passage while maintaining stability at the border and continuing commercial activity.
According to the Iraqi state-run news agency (INA), Kuwait temporarily shut the Abdali crossing on Thursday after it was struck by a drone. Kuwait's defense ministry later said the crossing had come under repeated drone attacks, while the government said continued Iranian attacks posed a threat to the country's security.
The Kuwaiti foreign ministry condemned what it called Iran's "unjustified hostile approach." On the same day, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted the US Udairi military base in Kuwait as part of the 26th phase of its Nasr-2 operation, describing the attack as retaliation for US strikes.
The border closure came amid renewed military exchanges between Iran and the US that have expanded across the Gulf in recent weeks.
Kuwait reported Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting US military facilities in its territory as well as disruptions to Kuwait's Shuaiba power and water desalination plant, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) oil facilities, telecommunications towers, and areas surrounding Kuwait International Airport.
