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🇧🇩 Bangladesh /Conflict & Security

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From Daily Star · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Iranian fishermen in Bandar Abbas have resumed their work after months of fighting between Iran and the U.S. disrupted their livelihoods.
  • Many fishermen lost savings and feared for their boats during the conflict, with some reporting deaths and disappearances.
  • The return to sea is fraught with new dangers, as fishing nets now frequently snag on wreckage from damaged ships, increasing repair costs for already struggling fishermen.

Fishermen in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas are slowly returning to their nets after months of conflict between Iran and the United States disrupted their work. Mohammad-Amin, a 47-year-old fisherman, described the fear and financial strain of the fighting, which forced him and others to stop fishing for over three months.

We had been idle for more than three months; it was simply impossible to go

— Mohammad-AminDescribing the impact of the Iran-U.S. conflict on his livelihood.

"We had been idle for more than three months; it was simply impossible to go" out to sea, Mohammad-Amin told AFP. He explained that during the fighting, he exhausted his savings and worried about his small boat being destroyed. The conflict, which included intense fighting and sporadic clashes, saw nearly a dozen fishermen killed off Bandar Abbas and nearby islands, with 17 others missing from Sistan-Baluchistan province, according to Iranian media.

Now, about 20 days after the fighting eased, fishermen like Mohammad-Amin are returning to sea, driven by the necessity of survival. "If we don't (go), we will die of hunger and I have three children," he stated.

If we don't (go), we will die of hunger and I have three children

— Mohammad-AminExplaining the urgent need to return to fishing despite ongoing risks.

The return to routine is not without peril. Mohammad-Amin and others report that their nets now frequently snag on the wreckage of damaged ships and other war debris. This has increased the frequency of equipment replacement for fishermen who can barely afford it. Bagher Abbaszadeh, 39, whose boat supports his family and four others, expressed the unimaginable prospect of losing his vessel, saying, "If they (the US) had hit the boat, that would have been it for us."

If they (the US) had hit the boat, that would have been it for us

— Bagher AbbaszadehExpressing the dire consequences of potential damage to his fishing boat.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Star. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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