Residents of Baghdad and Basra woke on February 8 to find shops and markets closed after traders launched a general strike in protest against a decision to raise customs tariffs, Baghdad Today reported.

As part of the action, shop owners in key commercial districts have closed their stores and markets, hanging banners saying the new fees are “killing citizens” and vowing to keep striking until the tariffs are reviewed or reversed.

Demonstrators say higher customs duties have weakened trade, disrupted supply chains, and imposed additional financial burdens on merchants already squeezed by rising costs and a fragile consumer market.

The network's correspondents reported the closure of all commercial shops and markets in the Shorja, Rashid, Rubai'i, and Sanaa districts, as well as in Karrada and Tahrir Square, along with other areas considered major shopping centres in the city.

Traders placed signs on their shop doors reading: "Closed in protest against the new customs fees that have caused market stagnation and harmed citizens."

A correspondent in Basra reported that traders closed all shops in the Ashar area in the east of the city.

Traders and shop owners announced on the evening of February 7 that they were organising a general strike, including the closure of several markets across Baghdad, in protest against the customs tariff increase, which they said had burdened them and negatively affected buying and selling activity.

Some traders are considering rerouting imports via the Kurdistan Region, where border fees are lower, to keep their businesses viable, but many small shopkeepers lack the capital and logistics to shift routes easily.