US blockade on Iranian ports strands trucks at Turkey-Iran border
The US blockade on Iranian ports is causing serious traffic jams at the Turkey-Iran border, with hundreds of trucks now stuck for more than five days.
President Masoud Pezeshkian is pushing to speed up overland trade so Iran can keep imports moving, but drivers are still facing long delays and disrupted routines.
Trucks surge to 1,200 at crossing
Truck numbers have jumped from 200 to 1,200 at the crossing, making things even slower. Complicated rules and corruption add to the mess.
Turkey has tried to help by upgrading infrastructure, cutting wait times from nearly a month down to 22 days, but it's still tough for drivers.
On top of all this, the economy shrank by over 10% in the three months following the start of Iran's calendar year on March 20, compared to the same period the previous year, and its currency keeps losing value, making life harder for everyone involved.
Officials plan round-the-clock Iran-Pakistan border operations
It's not just Turkey: Iran's border with Pakistan is also feeling the strain.
Officials are planning round-the-clock operations there to ease the backlog.
All in all, the US blockade is squeezing Iran's main trade routes and putting extra stress on people who rely on them every day.