A security official in the Iraqi Interior Ministry, who asked not to be identified, said that the Iraqi-Iranian border is 1450 kilometers long and has been and still is a source of problems between the two countries. He explained that the reason is “the wrong demarcation of the border between Iraq and Iran, which has had a negative effect on Iraq in particular.” In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said that “the Iranian border towns have a strategic depth, whereas the Iraqi towns do not. From a military point of view, this situation is to Iran’s advantage, but to Iraq’s disadvantage.” He noted that “Iran is now demanding taking Iraqi towns after transgressing the Al-Taluk Line (the imaginary line separating the Shatt al-Arab in the middle between Iraq and Iran according to the Algiers Agreement signed in 1975.”
