I wish I had better news, but the Iran-US ceasefire, signed June 17, has effectively collapsed.
The war has expanded well beyond the South. Overnight US strikes hit Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Chabahar, and, in a significant escalation, areas around Tehran for the first time in this latest round of violence. Strikes also reached Hamedan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Lorestan, Markazi, and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces.
On July 9, the US struck the Aq Taqeh Khan railway bridge in Golestan province in northern Iran. This is a key overland trade corridor linking Iran to China and Russia via Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Iran’s Foreign Ministry called it a “gross war crime.”
In Ahvaz, a strike landed near Shahid Baghaei Hospital, a specialist pediatric cancer center, forcing the emergency evacuation of 211 patients, many still connected to IV drips or ventilators, including some children receiving chemotherapy.
Iran’s Health Ministry reports 35 killed and 300+ injured in the latest wave. CENTCOM says it targeted 90 Iranian military targets. But to many in Iran, this feels like 90 million people are being targeted.
It’s a lot to take in. Let’s take a nourishing breath and let it out slowly. And again. One more time.
Today we’re going to get to know one of the cities absorbing these blows—a crossroads of civilizations for centuries that has survived Portuguese colonizers, the Iran-Iraq War, and now this. A city of fishermen, healers, traders, and mask-makers.
This is Bandar Abbas.
Bandar Abbas means “Port of Abbas.”
Formerly known as Gamrun, the city was renamed in 1622 when Shah Abbas I drove out the Portuguese, who had occupied the nearby island of Hormuz for over a century. He then built this city as Persia’s new main southern port and naval base. The city’s very name is an act of anti-colonial reclamation.
Centuries of Indian Ocean trade brought Persian, Arab, Indian, Baloch, and African influences together here, representing nearly all of Iran’s ethnic groups. It has always been a crossroads, a place where the world came to trade and stayed.
A few things you might not know about Bandar Abbas:
The Vishnu Temple
Built in 1892 during the Qajar era under local governor Mohammad Hassan Khan Sa’d-ol-Malek, the Vishnu Temple was financed by Hindu merchants from India who had settled in the city for maritime trade.
Its conical dome rises beautifully against the Persian Gulf skyline, a quiet testament to centuries of cultural exchange.
Genow Hot Spring
Thirty-four kilometers northeast of the city, nestled in the slopes of Genow Mountain, the Genow Hot Spring emerges from limestone heights in a sulfur-scented valley.
Its therapeutic waters range from 41–53°C, and the 30-hectare hydrotherapy resort surrounding it welcomes two million visitors a year.
Zār Ritual
The spiritual tradition of Zār, which has taken root in Bandar Abbas, was carried across the water by East African sailors and traders centuries ago.
It centers around the belief that “winds” can possess individuals. Zār ceremonies use music and trance-like dance to calm these spirits, led by a Bābā Zār or Māmā Zār. Over the centuries, the ritual has evolved into both a healing practice and a form of community support for those carrying trauma, stress, or chronic illness.
Boregh Masks
Some women in Bandar Abbas wear the Boregh, a distinctive traditional face mask, originally designed to protect against sun and sand, now crafted in vibrant colors as an emblem of cultural identity and local heritage.
Local legend holds that one style was designed to resemble eyebrows and a mustache, tricking invading forces into believing the women they spotted from a distance were male guards protecting the islands.
Bandar Abbas Now
Bandar Abbas has been a major flashpoint for severe labor grievances and protests recently. In May 2025, a nationwide strike by truck drivers began here and spread to Isfahan, Shiraz, Tehran, and Kermanshah, triggered by rising insurance premiums, poor road security, a proposed fuel price hike, and low freight rates. A port city that moves Iran’s economy decided to stop moving. The reverberations were felt across the country.
It has also been a city under fire before. The city was heavily bombed during the Iran-Iraq War. It bore casualties again in 2025, when US and Israeli forces struck it for the first time. 2026 is no different.
The Shahid Rajaee Port, Iran's maritime economic lifeline, handles nearly 90% of the country's container traffic and processes over half of Iran's total trade volume. When Bandar Abbas is bombed, all Iranians feel it.
But it is the people of this ancient port city who are once again bearing the brunt of US bombs. Local authorities have not yet released finalized casualty counts, but we know enough to know it’s bad.
Just last week, the US attacked 30 Iranian fishing boats, leaving 14+ dead and 78 injured.
Two of the slain, ripped from their families:
Both these young men were Baluch fishermen. Each one, a whole world to the people who loved them. 💔
These are not numbers.
And the ancient, sensitive ecosystem of these waters (bombed with your tax dollars) cannot be rebuilt.
Some losses outlast the war by generations.
When it comes to the south of Iran its a marginalized community. I didn't even know Africans migrated to iran until I met my friend who was born and travels through the south. Chabahar specifically. If your focus is on the south talk about Chabahar bombing. From a historical aspect the karim khan Zand dynasty i think fits your ideology and the message that you want to send.