Ruptly
"Travelers and traders in Basra spoke on Saturday about conditions at the Shalamja border crossing with Iran, after it was shut down following an airstrike on the Iranian side that killed an Iraqi citizen. Footage shows limited movement of people and vehicles at the crossing, while other scenes capture long lines of cargo trucks backed up along the road. "I heard a thunderous sound unlike anything in my life. The aircraft noise was extremely loud and kept me from sleeping. Then suddenly the explosion happened," recounted Imran al-Sari, a resident of Ahvaz. "Lives were lost, patients' conditions deteriorated - some even suffered strokes and required emergency intervention. Utter chaos and terror took over," he continued. Citizens condemned the strike, calling its targeting 'unjust' and arguing that the crossing serves 'civilian purposes' "There are no military barracks, security personnel, or missile launchers, yet it was subjected to unjust bombing," said Ya'qub Ali, an Iraqi citizen working with a logistics convoy. "Where are the human rights they keep boasting about? Where are the rights that America claims, Israel alleges and the entire West parrots? Yet, with deep regret, we see no trace of them on the ground," added Saadi al-Kaabi, an Iranian merchant. According to Iraqi media, the head of the Border Ports Authority, Lieutenant General Omar al-Waeli, announced the suspension of trade and travel through the Shalamja border crossing. "The strike specifically hit the passenger hall, leading to the martyrdom of one Iraqi traveler and the injury of five other travelers, who were transferred to a hospital inside Iran," al-Waeli noted. No party has claimed responsibility for the strike at the time of publication. Tensions escalated in the Middle East after the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28, amid diplomatic talks aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. Tehran responded with retaliatory strikes on Israeli and US assets in the region, with reports of explosions in several Gulf countries. Iran later confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with his son Mojtaba Khamenei named as his successor."
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