“The border will remain closed until further notice and Iranian pilgrims cannot use border areas to visit Iraq,” said Majid Mirahmadi, deputy Iranian interior minister for security affairs.

Local authorities in western Ilam province, which is located in western Iran and shares border with Iraq, have also demanded Iranian citizens, who have come to the province to go to Iraq, cancel their trip through the Mehran border area.

On the other hand, Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran released a statement saying that some airlines have canceled flights to Iraqi capital Baghdad due to the situation there.

Also, Iran’s Embassy in Baghdad has urged Iranian citizens in Iraq to avoid traveling to the capital, as well as the cities of Kadhimiya and Samarra. (ILKHA)