According to CoinMeta, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hussein revealed on the 8th that the United States has requested Iraq to close its land border crossings with Iran. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hussein stated that as part of the U.S. policy to pressure Iran's economy, the U.S. Treasury Department has demanded that Iraq shut down all border crossings with Iran, retaining only two. He added that among the two crossings exempted from closure by the U.S., one is located in the Kurdistan region. Since last February 21st, the Al-Qasim border crossing has been closed, and both passenger traffic and commercial freight operations through this crossing have been completely halted. The border crossings have been closed for 18 days now, and protests and demonstrations have continued to erupt in Iraq's Maysan province as a result.