Seven months into the war, Iran’s civilians are caught between blockade and daily strikes

As the US-Israel war on Iran enters its seventh month, the daily reality for ordinary Iranians is one of grinding economic pressure, sporadic military strikes, and a government that refuses to bend. While diplomatic channels remain frozen, the cost is increasingly borne by civilians—fishermen, small business owners, and families in coastal communities.

The blockade bites harder

The war’s most immediate impact on daily life is economic. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted to a record low, with an average of just 10 commodity ships transiting daily over the past 10 days, according to data from Kpler cited by Qatar’s government. Qatar has warned of an “industrial catastrophe” if the crisis continues (Source: Al Jazeera).

Iran’s oil minister, Mohsen Paknejad, described the US blockade as “difficult but manageable,” claiming the country’s oil industry continues to “circumvent” the restrictions (Source: Al Jazeera). But for ordinary citizens, the blockade means skyrocketing prices for imported goods and a collapse in coastal livelihoods like fishing and tourism.

A fisherwoman’s testimony

Khadijeh Bandari, a 28-year-old fisherwoman from Hengam Island in southern Iran, told Al Jazeera how her life has been upended. Before the war, she and her husband ran a small guesthouse and a seaside restaurant, selling the fish they caught through Instagram. The internet shutdowns in January hit their business hard, but the real blow came on February 28, when US bombs began falling.

“The sound of explosions from the American bombs reached Hengam Island soon after, and then a village near us was hit,” Bandari said. She now fears the fishing grounds that sustained her family for generations may be unsafe (Source: Al Jazeera).

Strikes and retaliation: a widening conflict

Military activity has escalated sharply in recent weeks. On September 3, Iran’s health ministry reported that the death toll from US attacks had reached 18, including two children (Source: Al Jazeera). The same day, an Iranian drone damaged a residential building in Kuwait City; no casualties were reported (Source: Al Jazeera).

The tit-for-tat has spread beyond the Gulf. On September 12, the Houthis—Iran’s Yemeni allies—seized control of the Red Sea coast, and Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline after a drone attack confirmed by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to have originated in Iraq. An investigation was ordered and a regional army commander dismissed (Source: Al Jazeera). By September 13, Saudi forces and the Houthis were trading strikes over the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint (Source: Al Jazeera).

Diplomacy stalls

Oman-mediated talks between Iran and Gulf states over the Strait of Hormuz were postponed on September 14 after regional countries requested a delay (Source: Al Jazeera). Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, has ruled out talks with the US until Iran’s demands are met (Source: Al Jazeera). On the other side, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington will not negotiate until Iranian attacks on shipping stop (Source: Al Jazeera).

What this means for Iranians

For Iran’s 90 million people, the war is not just a distant exchange of missiles—it is a daily reality of lost income, empty ports, and the fear of another strike. The political leadership remains united in its refusal to “capitulate,” but the cost of that defiance is carried by families like Bandari’s. “We had an ordinary life,” she said. “Now nothing is ordinary.”