In Sari, a city on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, Akbar, a 43-year-old laborer, earns less than £4 a day breaking metal and moving scrap. His income has halved over the past year amid ongoing US sanctions targeting Iran’s economy. Faced with rising hardship, Akbar initially tried to stockpile food in anticipation of further US military action, but severe shortages have forced him to consume his limited reserves.
This individual struggle reflects a broader economic campaign against Iran, as Washington intensifies sanctions designed to isolate the country and cripple its economy. The US Treasury’s “Operation Economic Outcast” includes measures such as blacklisting 27 Iranian airlines and aviation authorities in September, blocking access to aircraft parts, maintenance, and safety inspections that have crippled Iran’s civil aviation sector.
Tehran has described these sanctions as “economic terrorism” and “collective punishment” targeting its civilian population, lodging a formal complaint with the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, Iran’s exports have nearly ceased due to the blockade of its ports, with much of the region’s oil shipments moving instead through Arab Persian Gulf countries. Iranian forces have resumed attacks on tankers in retaliation as the blockade persists.
Interviews conducted across Iran reveal a society under severe strain. The Iranian rial has plummeted to over 2.7 million to the US dollar, while food inflation has surged by more than 125 percent. Small business owners report drastic drops in demand, pharmacies struggle to stock basic medicines such as codeine and flu vaccines, and day laborers are consuming their emergency supplies to survive.
Reza, a 36-year-old Tehran resident formerly running an online shop, described a collapse in sales linked to widespread economic hardship. Taxi driver Jalal in Karaj recounted rising transport costs and difficulty affording essential healthcare. Younger Iranians express growing despair. Taraneh, a 29-year-old student in Tehran, stated that while social restrictions have loosened slightly, economic misery overshadows any personal freedoms. An 18-year-old student in Isfahan voiced resignation over a future seemingly lost to political and economic turmoil.
Within the upper echelons of Iran’s Islamic Republic, officials and clerics acknowledge the mounting pressure. While the government publicly claims victory and steadfastness, urging mass enlistment in nationalist mobilization efforts, some insiders privately express concerns that public anger and deteriorating living conditions could threaten the regime’s stability. Hardline supporters regularly gather in cities to chant slogans against the United States and Israel, warning government negotiators against concessions in any peace talks.
Analysts interpret the ongoing economic blockade as part of a longer-term US strategy following an unsuccessful military campaign earlier in the year. While uncertainty persists over whether the sanctions will lead to renewed conflict or tempered diplomacy, many agree the current siege aims to erode Iranian society from within. One Tehran-based analyst suggested that while Shia ideology promotes resistance, severe scarcity could eventually compel concessions.
Some experts believe the US administration under President Donald Trump prioritizes the blockade over a new conflict, especially amid domestic political challenges ahead of the midterm elections. Iranian authorities maintain they will not capitulate, with President Masoud Pezeshkian asserting at a regional summit that Iran remains a vital trade corridor and condemning negotiations under coercive measures.
On the ground, the economic siege manifests in halted trade convoys at border crossings and widespread hardship in everyday life. For many Iranians like Akbar, the daily reality is marked by diminished dignity, pervasive complaint, and uncertainty about the future amid an intensifying campaign of economic warfare.