More than 93 million people in Iran now live under the threat of a war that could reignite at any moment, and many fear difficult months ahead. After failed US‑Iran talks in Pakistan earlier this month, Washington began blockading Iranian ports and ships in the Strait of Hormuz to cut Iran’s oil export revenues and to prevent Tehran from charging passage tolls. The blockade has also stopped many goods from reaching Iranian ports.
“The continuation of the war — whether at the military level or in the form of blockades and regional tensions — puts the greatest pressure on ordinary people, especially workers, teachers and wage earners,” trade unionist Ismail Abdi said. Abdi, a teacher and human rights activist who once served on the executive board of the Iranian Teachers’ Association, was detained years ago for defending teachers’ rights, spent several years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the political system,” and since March 2025 has been living in exile in Germany where he continues his advocacy.
Abdi said recent reports show the working class is suffering badly under wartime conditions. When factories, workshops or service projects shut down or scale back, contract workers, day laborers and those in informal employment are the first to lose income. That weakens workers’ bargaining power and pushes wages toward collapse.
The war has worsened an economy already burdened by mismanagement, corruption and sanctions. Iranian officials have put preliminary war damage at about €229 billion (roughly $270 billion), according to government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani in an April 14 interview with Russia’s RIA Novosti, though the full scope of damage to major industrial facilities is still unclear.
One high-profile hit was to the Mobarakeh Steel Company in Isfahan, Iran’s largest steel producer, which was forced to halt operations after a second US‑Israeli attack in late March. Steel is vital both for military production — including missiles, drones and ships — and for civilian industries such as automotive supply chains, household appliances, packaging and construction. Iran was among the world’s 10 largest steel producers in 2025, producing around 31.8 million tons annually; between March 2025 and January 2026 export revenues from steel were about $860 million (€741 million). With production suspended, thousands of workers were sent home; at least 10,000 workers in the steel industry are day laborers. A shutdown also risks a chain reaction that forces dependent suppliers and other companies to halt operations.
Attacks on petrochemical plants and gas facilities have likewise caused massive disruption. Strikes on petrochemical hubs in Asaluyeh, the South Pars gas field, Mahshahr and Shiraz damaged facilities and left many at a standstill. The South Pars field was set ablaze after a mid‑March airstrike. Industrial centers such as Mahshahr — where more than 30,000 people are employed — face sudden job losses and wage cuts. Energy strategist Umud Shokri said the damage extends beyond facilities to supply chains, state revenues and livelihoods; restoring a major hub like Mahshahr could take around two years and would require foreign technology, capital, spare parts and technical know‑how that are difficult to access under current sanctions.
Job losses have spread across sectors. On April 14 the Iranian Labour News Agency dismissed all its staff journalists and moved them to freelance contracts. Many companies have begun mass layoffs, including in digital services; ride‑hailing platform Snapp and other online services continue operating but face reduced demand because people are moving less and many can no longer afford these services. Internet restrictions imposed since the start of the war to limit protests have further harmed livelihoods: Abdi said thousands of freelancers, programmers and content producers have lost access to work and have been pushed back into an already fragile traditional labor market. In the short term this causes falling real incomes and growing poverty; in the long term it risks producing an exploited, less skilled and more dependent workforce.
Abdi still hopes for political change in Iran but warned that the war is driving rising poverty and insecurity among disadvantaged populations. He urged an end to the conflict before its human and social costs become irreversible. Yet attention to the Iranian population appears limited, both from the Islamic Republic’s leadership, whose priority is staying in power, and from the US president despite promises of support.
Human rights group HRANA reported that from the outbreak of the war on February 28 until a fragile ceasefire on April 8, 3,636 people were killed in Iran. Of those, 1,701 were civilians, including at least 254 children.
This report was originally written in German.