An Iranian lawmaker has threatened to close the land border with Pakistan if Islamabad continues to block trucks arriving from Iran, as hundreds of trucks remain stranded at border crossings following the suspension of trade between the two countries.
Fadahossein Maleki, head of the Iran-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group, told the reformist ILNA news agency on Thursday that the border had been reopened "unilaterally."
"If this situation continues, Iran will certainly close the border on its side," he said.
Maleki explained that after following up with authorities in Iran's Baluchestan region, he learned that trucks stranded in Pakistan were being allowed to enter Iran, but traffic from Iran into Pakistan "remains blocked."
He said he had discussed the issue with Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, during Munir's visit to Tehran.
According to Maleki, Munir "issued orders from here in Tehran to open the border," while Pakistani officials attributed the restrictions to a "technical problem."
Maleki, who also serves on the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, claimed that the developments were part of "US political pressure on neighboring countries to restrict or close their borders and limit trade and economic relations" with Iran.
"We never expected anything like this from our Pakistani friends, nor did we expect them to be influenced by American pressure," he said.
He offered no evidence to support the alleged connection.
Maleki called for Pakistan's ambassador to appear before parliament "as soon as possible," alongside provincial officials, to resolve the outstanding issues.
He also referred to similar "fluctuations" along Iran's border with Iraq, saying it had previously been closed "under pressure" before reopening.
He noted that these issues were now being raised in connection with the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
Trucks Stranded at Border
Hundreds of trucks remained stranded Wednesday on the Pakistani side of border crossings with Iran following the suspension of bilateral trade, according to a local official and business representatives who spoke to AFP.
An AFP journalist at the Gabd-Rimdan crossing in southwestern Pakistan observed hundreds of heavy trucks loaded with goods bound for Iran, while drivers complained of waiting for days.
Driver Abdul Ghani, 28, said truckers were facing "extreme difficulties."
"We have no drinking water and no proper facilities for food or other basic necessities," he said.
Another driver, Azeem Khan, 32, said everyone was suffering, particularly Baloch traders and workers.
"People's losses are increasing day by day," he added.
An official in Pakistan's Balochistan province, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the border had been closed to trade for five days, with all goods bound for Iran barred from crossing.
However, some trucks carrying goods through Iran to Central Asia or Türkiye were allowed to cross on Wednesday.
Provincial official Shahid Rind had said Saturday that the closure was "temporary" and intended to "address security concerns" and "curb smuggling."
Shamsul Haq, a trader from the city of Gwadar, said Pakistani importers and exporters had suffered "losses amounting to billions of rupees."
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
Munir's Visit
Munir, whose country is serving as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, told Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf during his visit Tuesday that the border problems were "temporary and technical" and that the crossings had "reopened as of today."
Munir also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, who told him that Iran would not proceed with negotiations with Washington until "trust is built."
Iranian authorities had announced last Saturday that Pakistan had closed the Rimdan-Gabd crossing to commercial activity while allowing passenger traffic to continue.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei attributed the suspension of border crossings and trade to "technical problems" and "precautionary measures."
Peyman Sanandaji, head of the Transportation Committee at the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, said Iranian exports to Pakistan had been temporarily suspended because of sanctions on Iran's banking system.
He added that imports from Pakistan remained possible, but their continuation depended on cooperation from the Pakistani side.
A Land Blockade?
Iran's land crossings have become increasingly important amid the US naval blockade of its ports.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said that apart from humanitarian assistance authorized by Washington, Iran had no imports or exports moving by sea.
The US Treasury Department has warned foreign financial institutions against conducting transactions with sanctioned Iranian banks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington would maintain "extraordinary economic pressure" to cut off funding for Tehran's regional allies and its military production.
ILNA questioned whether US pressure had "extended to land routes" connecting Iran with its neighbors, amid restrictions at the Pakistani border and reports of possible limitations on crossings with Iraq.
However, the agency acknowledged that the announced restrictions "do not, on their own, prove the existence of a coordinated plan to impose a land blockade."
