Iranians Stream Into Northern Iraq as War and Economic Hardship Tighten Grip at Home

By Anietie anii-bassey

Dozens of Iranian civilians crossed into northern Iraq on Sunday after a key border crossing reopened for the first time since the outbreak of war, seeking relief from soaring food prices, communication blackouts and the constant threat of airstrikes that have disrupted daily life across large parts of the country.

The reopening of the crossing at Haji Omeran Border Crossing allowed a small but steady stream of people to pass between Iran and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region. For many of those making the journey, the crossing represented more than just a transit point—it was a lifeline to essential supplies, employment opportunities and the outside world.

Trucks loaded with goods lined the road through the crossing, traveling from the Iraqi Kurdish region toward Iranian towns where shortages and inflation have intensified since the war began. The convoys carried groceries and other essential items that many Iranians say have become either scarce or prohibitively expensive inside their country.

For decades, ethnic Kurdish communities on both sides of the frontier have maintained deep cultural and family ties. Residents of Iranian Kurdish cities frequently travel to northern Iraq for work, trade or visits with relatives.

But those connections were abruptly severed when the border was closed amid escalating regional tensions and military operations following the outbreak of war between Iran and the alliance led by United States and Israel.

With the crossing finally reopened, many travelers said the trip had become essential for survival.

“When this border was closed, it affected everyone—poor people, rich people, workers,” said Khider Chomani, a truck driver transporting goods into Iran. Like many in the region, he has relied on the cross-border trade routes for years to support his livelihood.

Authorities in the Kurdish region of Iraq had been waiting for their counterparts in Iran to permit traffic again after heightened military tensions forced the crossing shut. The reopening allowed not only commercial shipments but also limited civilian movement.

Nearly all of the Iranian Kurds who spoke about conditions inside their country requested anonymity, saying they feared potential retaliation from Iranian intelligence services. Many residents believe authorities closely monitor anyone speaking publicly about the war or the state of the country’s economy.

Several people described a situation inside Iran where constant bombardment has damaged military installations and security facilities, forcing government personnel to change their routines. According to residents near those sites, officers are increasingly avoiding official buildings and instead moving between vehicles or temporary shelters in schools, hospitals and other civilian structures.

For ordinary citizens, the most immediate concerns are communication and food.

A Kurdish woman from the Iranian city of Piranshahr crossed the border Sunday primarily to contact relatives and purchase essential supplies. She had traveled about 15 kilometers to reach the crossing.

“I came here to make a phone call,” she said. “In most of Iran there is no internet. For more than sixteen days my relatives haven’t heard from me and they are worried.”

She explained that widespread internet disruptions have left many Iranians unable to communicate with family members abroad. As a result, some residents travel to the border area specifically to obtain Iraqi SIM cards or connect to foreign networks so they can call relatives.

After briefly making contact with her family, the woman visited a nearby market in the town just across the frontier. There she bought rice and cooking oil—basic staples that she said cost a fraction of their price inside Iran.

“The situation in Iran is terrible,” she said. “People don’t feel safe. Everything is expensive and people are afraid to leave their homes.”

Roughly half an hour later she returned across the border carrying two plastic bags filled with groceries, anxious to get back to her children waiting at home.

Others arriving at the crossing had more desperate reasons for traveling.

An elderly woman dressed in a black shawl slowly walked across the border in the pouring rain, alone and carrying little more than a small bag. She had traveled from Sardasht and hoped to reach the Iraqi Kurdish town of Choman, about 40 kilometers away.

Her goal was to locate distant relatives living there and ask them for help.

She said her son had been shot and killed by Iranian border forces fourteen months earlier while working as a cross-border smuggler transporting cigarettes and other goods. Smuggling has long been a common survival strategy in the mountainous frontier region, where formal employment opportunities are scarce.

Her son had been the family’s only source of income. After his death, she was left caring for three young children, the oldest only five years old.

Now, with prices surging during the war, she says feeding them has become nearly impossible. She is already two months behind on rent and owes roughly $200.

“I don’t have anyone there to help me survive,” she said through tears. “The war made everything worse. Everything is more expensive.”

Unable to contact her relatives ahead of time, she hoped they would take her in when she arrived. Standing in the rain by the roadside, she waited for a passing vehicle willing to give her a ride.

Other travelers were making the journey for work rather than emergency supplies.

Three Iranian laborers returning to their construction jobs in northern Iraq crowded into a single taxi after visiting their families back home. The men said they planned to remain in the Iraqi Kurdish region for at least a month to earn enough money to support their families as living costs rise in Iran.

“The situation will only become worse and civilians will be the ones who suffer,” one of the workers said. “We left our kids and wives behind just to come here and earn money. Otherwise we would never leave them alone.”

The war’s impact is also being felt by Iranian Kurds living near government facilities and military sites.

A house painter from Urmia who works in Erbil said frequent airstrikes had become a grim part of everyday life. He had briefly returned to Iran after his mother, frightened by the explosions, begged him to visit.

He tried to reassure her that their family had no ties to the government and therefore nothing to fear from the strikes.

Still, others are taking fewer chances.

A metal factory worker originally from Urmia recently convinced his wife and three children to relocate temporarily to northern Iraq. The family arrived Sunday and stopped to rest at a roadside restaurant after crossing the border.

He said the repeated attacks on Iranian security infrastructure have left many facilities destroyed and forced personnel to abandon permanent bases.

“They don’t stay in their offices anymore,” he said. “They stay in their cars, under bridges, in schools and hospitals. They move around constantly because their bases are destroyed.”

For many civilians in the border region, the reopening of the crossing has offered a small measure of relief. But travelers say the broader reality remains grim as the war continues to reshape daily life inside Iran and push more people toward the frontier in search of safety, food and connection with the outside world.