In the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterfront once busy with boats, trucks, and workers has quieted. It represents the economic hardship that the United States aims to increase following six months of war.
The Associated Press visited the city, which was affected by new U.S. airstrikes targeting coastal areas last week, finding anger alongside growing anxiety about daily survival due to the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
Taxi driver Hamid Hajizadeh expressed his disapproval of Americans. He stated, “They are heroes in movies, but here they killed people in schools, wedding ceremonies and other places. They bombed roads and bridges.”
In this city of over 700,000 residents, inhabitants have a close view of events on the strait that have drawn global attention. They report that their location has brought little more than danger and discomfort over the past six months.
Business is struggling
Mohammad Torabian works at the dock providing services to passengers. Before the war, he noted that as many as 50 trucks carrying food and meat would unload there daily. Now, with the U.S. blockade intended to prevent Iran from exporting oil, much of the dock remains empty.
“The business right now is terrible,” Torabian said. He estimated that about 500 people had been earning a living around the dock but stated, “there is no job here.”
Bandar Abbas's prosperity has long been linked to the sea and nearby Shahid Rajaee, one of Iran’s largest commercial ports. A July report by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency indicated that Shahid Rajaee has the capacity to handle 100 million metric tons of cargo annually.
Iranian officials have strongly criticized the blockade, which the U.S. implemented in April and then reimposed after negotiations with Tehran regarding an end to the war failed. Washington has since pledged further economic pressure on the strait, a vital route for global shipping of oil, natural gas, and related products.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who led the talks with the U.S. that collapsed, warned earlier this month that escalating the blockade would provoke a military response.
In Bandar Abbas, these effects are spreading across nearly every sector of the economy, affecting ships, dock workers, customs-clearing companies, and shopkeepers.
Mahsa Shojaei, an accountant for a customs-clearing company, said much of its pre-war business involved importing rice, tea, and coffee from India and Pakistan.
Shojaei now estimates that 80% to 90% of her company’s workload has vanished. She noted that a business that might have handled around 100 customs-clearance files during a specific period now processes only about 10. Concurrently, the cost of clearing cargo through customs has increased.
There are simply no customers
The economic damage extends beyond the waterfront, particularly as Iran’s currency reaches record lows. In retail markets, merchants report that customers are disappearing as purchasing power declines.
Mehrdad Jahangiri sells children’s clothing at a shop supporting both his household and his father's. He reported sales have dropped by about half compared to the same period last year.
“There are simply no customers,” Jahangiri said. “The market has become very quiet.”
The timing of the war was especially detrimental for merchants, as it began just before Nowruz, the Iranian New Year and traditionally one of the busiest shopping seasons. Merchants rely on families spending more than during ordinary months, a business that the war significantly reduced.
Another key shopping period is now passing unnoticed. In the weeks leading up to schools reopening in September, families customarily purchase new clothes for their children. This year, Jahangiri said, the usual crowds have barely appeared.
The downturn has become severe enough that his shop sometimes struggles with rent and accumulates market debts, something he stated had not happened previously.
“People’s pockets are empty and incomes have fallen,” he commented.
When asked if his family had been forced to reduce daily spending, Jahangiri responded immediately, “Absolutely. It has changed a lot.”
Other merchants have attempted adaptation by offering discounts or allowing trusted regular customers to pay for goods in installments.
The sea is not safe
For those earning livelihoods directly from the sea, the issue involves more than just lost business; they must also consider how far they can safely travel offshore.
Abbas Golzanaei, a motorboat driver who transports passengers to ships and other nearby ports, said that before the war, he traveled as far as 30 miles (48 kilometers) for work.
“Before the war, business was good,” Golzanaei stated. “Now I can’t go beyond seven or eight miles. The sea is not safe.”
This restriction has resulted in fewer passengers and less income for him. He added that “things are hard to find” and they face difficulty obtaining gasoline.
Further offshore, cargo vessels were visible against the sunset, suspended in uncertainty like Bandar Abbas itself, awaiting information on when movement could resume.