ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq and Iran have agreed to conduct a joint investigation after several drone launch platforms were discovered near their shared border, Iraq’s prime minister’s office said Saturday, a day after Saudi Arabia said drones originating from Iraqi territory attacked its East-West pipeline.
Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi approved a request from the Iranian side to jointly investigate the platforms, according to Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief.
“The Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ali Falih al-Zaidi, has approved the Iranian side's request to conduct a joint investigation regarding the discovery of drone launch platforms near the Iraqi-Iranian border strip,” Numan said in a statement.
The move comes hours after the Iraqi government confirmed that the latest drone attack on neighboring Saudi Arabia was launched from Iraq's Maysan province.
Rudaw has learned that the investigation will focus on the area around the al-Sheeb border crossing in Maysan province.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia said drones launched from Iraq had struck its East-West oil pipeline, causing casualties and damage. Baghdad condemned the attack and announced an urgent investigation to identify those responsible.
Riyadh said it had decided against retaliating for now after Zaidi asked the kingdom to give Baghdad an opportunity to take measures to prevent further attacks launched from Iraqi territory.
“The Kingdom has opted not to respond at this stage, and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.
As part of the ensuing security measures, the Iraqi prime minister dismissed the head of Maysan province's operations command.
Iraqi state media also reported that the al-Sheeb border crossing would be closed indefinitely, except for travelers and pilgrims stranded on either side of the border.
The Shalamcheh crossing in Basra province has likewise been closed to travelers, pilgrims and commercial traffic. Specialized security committees have been deployed there to investigate what Iraqi authorities described as several violations and establish a new operating mechanism.
RELATED: Iraq confirms attack on Saudi Arabia launched from its territory
.png&w=3840&q=75)
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)