Iranian state television, quoting the government, said today the crossings were closed to "contain the large number of pilgrims" bound for the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala in southern Iraq who were planning to cross into Iraq without "legal documents."
No other details were given but the report indicated that not all border crossings had been closed and that some pilgrims were allowed through elsewhere.
(AP)
On The Verge Of Civil War
The Imam Al-Mahdi Army on parade (epa)
HAS THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ BECOME A CIVIL WAR? Many observers have concluded that the tit-for-tat sectarian violence that emerged after the February 2006 bombing of a mosque in Samarra has become a full-blown civil war.... (more)
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THE COMPLETE PICTURE: Click on the image to view RFE/RL's complete coverage of events in Iraq and that country's ongoing transition.