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Seven months into the war, Iran's civilians bear the cost as US rules out talks

As the US-Israel war on Iran enters its seventh month, civilians face daily hardship while diplomatic talks remain blocked. A new wave of US strikes and Iranian retaliations has killed 18 people, including two children. The US refuses negotiations until Iran halts ship attacks, but Iran's establishment is united against capitulation.

Sam Okonkwo en

The seventh month of the US-Israel war on Iran has brought a familiar rhythm: US strikes, Iranian retaliation, civilian casualties, and diplomatic deadlock. But for the 90 million people living through it, the grinding reality is that life has become a daily struggle, with no end in sight.

On September 4, the US administration ruled out any diplomatic talks with Iran until it stops attacks on shipping in the Gulf. The statement came as Iran's oil minister, Mohsen Paknejad, claimed the country's petroleum industry is still "circumventing" the US naval blockade, calling the situation "difficult but manageable" [Source 9].

The diplomatic impasse underscores a broader split within Iran's establishment. According to reporting from Al Jazeera, there is internal disagreement between those seeking a diplomatic resolution and those who want to fight until the US "backs away in defeat." But all factions agree there will be no "capitulation" to Washington [Source 1].

Escalation in late August and early September

The latest cycle of violence began on August 31, when US Central Command said it bombed two rocket launchers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Larak Island [Source 2]. The IRGC retaliated by attacking US bases in Jordan [Source 2]. President Donald Trump then vowed to strike Iran "hard" after what he described as the first clash in a month [Source 3].

On September 1, Iranian state media reported "numerous" US strikes on Iranian territory [Source 4]. The US said it "successfully" completed a wave of strikes against Iranian targets, accusing the IRGC of attempting attacks on shipping and US service members [Source 5]. Iran retaliated by striking targets in Gulf neighbors and Jordan [Source 5].

By September 3, Iran's health minister reported that the death toll from US attacks had risen to 18, including two children [Source 7]. That same day, an Iranian drone damaged a residential building in Kuwait City, though authorities reported no casualties [Source 8]. Trump said the renewed clashes would not last "too long" [Source 7].

Life on the frontlines: Hengam Island

For civilians, the war has dismantled ordinary life. Khadijeh Bandari, a 28-year-old fisherwoman from Hengam Island in southern Iran, described the unraveling in a first-person account published September 2.

Bandari, who learned to fish from her mother, ran a guesthouse and restaurant with her husband, selling their catch via Instagram. When the internet was shut down for weeks in January, their business stalled. "When the internet was restored, we breathed a sigh of relief and thought life had finally returned to normal, but we were wrong," she said [Source 6].

On February 28, the first day of the war, her mother was out at sea and shouted, "The war has started." Explosions soon reached Hengam Island, and a nearby village was hit. A coastguard ordered them to pack up and stay away from the beach [Source 6].

Bandari's story echoes the broader economic collapse described in earlier reporting. Six months in, most Iranians face a daily struggle for essentials, with the Strait of Hormuz seeing only a trickle of its pre-war shipping traffic [Source 1].

What comes next?

The US has made clear it will not negotiate until Iran halts its attacks on shipping. Iran, meanwhile, insists on its right to retaliate and shows no sign of backing down. International mediators continue efforts to revive talks, but Trump's administration is reportedly opposed to any deal that does not include full and unrestricted reopening of the strait [Source 1].

For now, the war grinds on, and civilians like Bandari are left navigating uncertainty. "We had an ordinary life," she said. "For us, he is our whole world," she said of her three-year-old son, Keyhan [Source 6].

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