Iran Closes Pilgrimage Border-Crossing Due to Iraqi Protests

Iranian state television says authorities have closed a key crossing point between the Islamic Republic and Iraq due to three straight days of rioting in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities. The crossing point is used by Shi’ites in Iran when they make pilgrimages to the Iraqi holy city of Karbala. The next pilgrimage, the Arba’een festival, is scheduled for October 19. It marks the last day of the 40-day mourning period after the Ashura, which commemorates the death in battle of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Husayn Ibn Ali. Iran’s Foreign Ministry urged citizens to delay planning to attend until the Iraqi unrest ends. At least one person was killed in southern Iraq on Thursday, bringing the death toll from three days of anti-government demonstrations to at least 19. Iraqis are protesting against poor living conditions and what they say is government corruption.