Basra official says Iraq-Iran Shalamcheh border operating normally

Iraqi security forces were seen at the Shalamcheh border crossing in Basra on Thursday (January 15) as travellers moved between Iran and Iraq.

With Iran's leadership trying to quell the worst domestic unrest the Islamic Republic has ever faced, and with U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to intervene on behalf of the protesters, Tehran has warned its neighbours including Turkey that it would hit American bases if Washington were to strike.

The U.S.-based HRANA rights group says it has so far verified the deaths of 2,435 protesters and 153 government-affiliated individuals in the unrest that started with protests over soaring prices before turning into one of the biggest challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The death toll has dwarfed that of previous bouts of unrest crushed by the Iranian authorities, such as the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests and unrest sparked by a disputed election in 2009.

Iran’s rial has plunged to record lows, losing nearly half its value against the dollar in 2025, deepening the economic hardship from years of Western sanctions aimed at cutting off funding to Tehran's nuclear programme. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran and its Western foes have both described the unrest as the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iranian authorities said the demonstrations turned from legitimate protest at economic grievances into unrest fomented by its foreign enemies, accusing people it described as terrorists of attacking the security forces and public property.

Production: Mohammed Atti, Imad Creidi/Reuters