Iran has imposed a ban on passenger travel through five of its border crossings into neighboring Iraq amid heightened fears about the spread of a mutated variant of coronavirus.
IRICA spokesman Rouhollah Latifi said the decision was meant to contain the spread of the so-called British variant of coronavirus amid fears that the infection is spreading fast in provinces on the Iraqi border.
Latifi said the ban would be inclusive and would apply to passengers with special travel permits, including diplomatic staff.
The map shows main border crossings between Iran and Iraq
Reports suggested the closures would be in place at least for two weeks while borders will remain open to cargo trucks.
Iran is struggling to prevent a fourth wave of coronavirus infections in the run-up to the Persian New Year holidays beginning late March.
Health authorities in the populous province of Khuzestan on the southwestern border with Iraq have confirmed a more dangerous variant of coronavirus which was first detected in England in December has started circulating in the province.
Iran has recorded over 1.5 million coronavirus cases and nearly 60,000 deaths from the virus. The country started a vaccination campaign for the vulnerable and the frontline health workers earlier this month.