Iran’s exports and trade continue to plummet — even as it tries to circumvent the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by shipping oil and goods overland.
While the Islamic republic moved to bolster its land-based trade under pressure from the US naval blockade , the rush to do so has caused more than 3,700 cargo trucks to be stuck at its borders with Turkey and Pakistan, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported.
“Neither Iran is taking responsibility for the situation, nor is Pakistan allowing us to unload our cargo,” one driver claimed in a video posted by the Union of Truckers and Drivers Organizations Across Iran.
5 Iranian goods flow in slowly at a transport garage in Baghdad, Iraq. AFP via Getty Images 5 Commercial ships scheduled to exit or enter Iran remain stuck in limbo under the US Navy blockade. Anadolu via Getty Images The self-inflicted wound has seen the drivers wait for up to 20 days to get through the border with their cargo of iron ore, cement and gas, all while suffering record-high fuel prices themselves.
The truckers’ union said the drivers were also going days without access to food, water or sanitation as the workers also contend with 120-degree heat.
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