Rising tensions in the Middle East have disrupted cross-border trade between Pakistan and Iran, leading to sharp increases in food prices in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, according to local residents.
Pakistan and Iran share a 909-kilometer border, and communities in towns along both sides have long depended on informal trade for everyday goods.
However, recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran, followed by Tehran’s retaliatory actions against Israel and US interests in the Arabian Gulf, have heightened security concerns and led authorities to shut key border routes.
As a result, supplies that previously moved regularly across the border have been interrupted. Vendors in the border town of Taftan say the closure has significantly raised the cost of basic items, with vegetables that once sold for around Rs200–250 per kilogram now priced between Rs250 and Rs400, putting additional pressure on residents with limited purchasing power.
Local traders say the disruption has also severely affected businesses that rely on cross-border commerce. They report growing shortages of edible goods in Taftan and warn that reduced inflows of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through the border are beginning to impact supply across Pakistan. Business owners in the area say the situation is causing financial losses running into tens of millions of rupees.
