Key facts
- Iran closed the Marivan and Hawraman border crossings with Iraq's Kurdistan province.
- Residents have been urged to stay away from frontier areas.
- The closures follow an eighth consecutive night of U.S. strikes on Iran.
- At least 21 deaths have been reported in recent escalations in Iranian Kurdistan.
- Iran launched heavy attacks on bases belonging to the Kurdistan Freedom Party.
Iran has closed the Marivan and Hawraman border crossings with Iraq's Kurdistan province, with border guards warning residents to stay away from frontier areas. The closures come after an eighth consecutive night of U.S. strikes on Iran. Amidst heightened regional military tensions, dozens of Iranians have been crossing into northern Iraq to buy cheaper groceries, access the internet, contact relatives, and find work due to economic hardship and airstrikes. Iraqi Kurdish authorities have been awaiting their Iranian counterparts to reopen the crossings. Recent escalations in Iranian Kurdistan have resulted in at least 21 deaths, marking the deadliest confrontation between Tehran and Kurdish armed parties in over a decade. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that Iran has launched heavy attacks on bases belonging to the Kurdistan Freedom Party in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.