ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Baghdad wants to build a naval base in Basra, the Iraqi Defence Minister said on Saturday in order to improve stability in the economic and security sectors of the southern port city.
Najah al-Shimari visited Basra and was accompanied by Transportation Minister Abdulla Luaibi and a group of military commanders.
“Iraq has decided to establish the biggest Navy base in Basra that will help to develop the security and economy of Iraq and Basra city locally,” said Shimari.
The base will take several years to be built, according to Shimari. The Iraqi ministry of defence posted a video of his visit to their Facebook page.
A video posted by the Iraqi ministry of defence of Shimari's visit to Basra. Video: Iraq MOD
“We will do whatever we can to finalize this project for the sake of Iraq’s economy,” he said.
Iraq currently has a naval base in Um Qasr, about 65 kilometers south of Basra.
Graphic: Sarkawt Mohammed | Rudaw, Maps4News
Basra is a city in southern Iraq located on Shatt al-Arab, a river where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers meet.
The province is home to regular mass protests over unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, and a lack of public services, particularly clean water and electricity. Security forces have violently clamped down on Basra demonstrators. Human Rights Watch recently blamed inaction by government officials.
The Transportation Minister praised the base project, saying it would help thrive the economy of Basra and all of Iraq.
“We are proud to announce the biggest navy base in Basra that would help Iraq to develop its security and economy sectors, as well as controlling its water routes,” he said in the video.
The declaration comes at a time of heightened US-Iran tensions following the downing of the US Navy surveillance aircraft in June 20, 2019 over international waters. Iran insists the craft violated its airspace.
Washington deployed yet more troops to the region following attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in June. The US and its allies blame the attacks on Iran, but Tehran strenuously denies the charges.
The US and Iran have been at loggerheads since May 2018 when Trump withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, leaving the Europeans and other signatories of the deal with the aftermath.
The US imposed a raft of sanctions targeting Iran’s economy afterwards. Under relentless US pressure, Iranian oil exports are estimated to have fallen to below 500,000 barrels per day.
Iraqi officials are concerned their country has the most to lose if war breaks out between Iran and the US at a time when Iraq is recovering from three devastating years of war with the Islamic State (ISIS).
