Pakistan has halted commercial traffic at the Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan crossings in Balochistan province, a decision that emerged on Saturday. The Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry said about 2,000 trucks were stuck on both sides of the border, though passenger traffic at Gabd-Rimdan has continued, according to the Iranian news agency WANA. Pakistan's federal government has not commented publicly.
Pakistani officials described the closure as a security measure. Bakhtiar Ismail, deputy commissioner of Chagai district where the Taftan crossing is located, wrote on X that it was “a temporary measure to improve border management to support counterterrorism efforts” and that the border would reopen once effective measures were in place. Shahid Rind, an aide to Balochistan’s chief minister, similarly cited security concerns and the need to prevent smuggling.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, offered a different account, saying “due to certain technical issues and the necessity of implementing precautionary measures, cross-border movement and exchanges have been temporarily halted,” according to state news agency IRNA.
The border closure comes amid a complex geopolitical backdrop. Pakistan has acted as a mediator between Washington and Tehran since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February, brokering a short-lived ceasefire in April and later helping negotiate the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June. That agreement, which aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the blockade, collapsed within a month. The US has since widened sanctions, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announcing a campaign called Operation Economic Outcast in August that extended penalties to shipping, gold, aviation and digital assets. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman said earlier this month that Pakistan would continue to comply with all applicable sanctions regimes.
Violence in the border region has also escalated. Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, has seen a sharp rise in attacks by Baloch nationalist rebels this year. The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies recorded 62 security personnel killed in the province in July, up from six in June, and 225 attacks nationwide in September, the highest monthly figure in 12 years. On the Iranian side, Sistan-Baluchestan province has also experienced repeated attacks, including the killing of a senior police official on October 9 and a Basij commander on October 14. A coalition of Baloch armed groups led by Jaish al-Adl has claimed some of those attacks.
Quetta-based researcher Imtiaz Baloch said security might be only part of the explanation. “Although Pakistani officials have cited security concerns, the decision to close the border appears to be motivated by broader strategic considerations, with security as a possible factor amid economic sanctions on Iran,” he told Al Jazeera. Iranian analyst Javad Heiran-Nia said Tehran’s reference to “technical issues” could cover operational problems, customs procedures, or tighter security controls. Tehran-based analyst Seyed Reza Hashemi Jebeli said the key issue for Iran was Pakistan meeting its commitments to prevent anti-Iranian armed groups from operating in border areas.