Under Port Blockade and War Pressure: Inflation Near 90%, Iranian Shopowners on Verge of Bankruptcy

According to a France 24 report, Iran's economy was already fragile after years of sanctions pressure. In February this year, the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, and a port blockade subsequently imposed by the United States has inflicted another heavy blow on ordinary merchants. Official data shows that the September inflation rate approached 90% year-on-year, food prices have more than doubled since last year, and sharp fluctuations in the currency exchange rate have further driven up the cost of daily necessities, pushing shopowners to the brink of bankruptcy.

France 24's report pointed out that the conflict has squeezed shopowners directly through two channels: the port blockade has cut off some import routes and logistics, driving up the cost of procurement, while the uncertainty of the war has suppressed consumer demand, with customers' purchasing power continuing to erode under the impact of inflation. A grocery shopowner told France 24 that customer traffic has visibly declined in recent months, and many families can only delay or forgo purchases of non-essential goods.

Citing official data, the report pointed out that the September inflation rate approaching 90% is the result of the cumulative effect of years of sanctions combined with a new round of blockade. The rise in food prices has been particularly pronounced, exerting double pressure on low-income families and small merchants. Sharp fluctuations in the currency exchange rate have made it difficult for shopowners reliant on imported raw materials to lock in costs, and some small merchants have been forced to reduce their purchases or shorten their business hours. France 24's report described how shopowners face the pressure of closure with no end in sight to the war and the blockade. The port blockade, primarily carried out by the United States, has directly compressed Iran's foreign trade channels, and the cost of the sanctions and the blockade is being transmitted to ordinary citizens and small merchants through rising prices.