Blocking border routes has destroyed livelihoods, fueled corruption, and ignited protests across southeastern Iran
The Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has endangered the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in Sistan and Baluchestan Province by closing border crossings and tightening restrictions on trade and travel.
For years, the Baluchi people have protested against repeated closures and limitations that have paralyzed cross-border commerce and even disrupted family visits. The regime’s response has been violent or deceptive, most notoriously during the Shamsar fuel carriers massacre in February 2021, when dozens of Baluchi fuel traders were shot dead after the border was suddenly sealed without warning.
Corruption and Inequality at Official Crossings
The IRGC’s so-called “official border checkpoints” have not provided fair access for local residents. Instead, they have become instruments of corruption and patronage, benefiting regime-affiliated individuals and networks.
Fuel tankers and heavy transport vehicles owned by well-connected entities pass freely, while ordinary residents—trying to cross with small loads of goods—must endure endless waits, provide multiple documents, pay high fees, and often still face denial of passage.
Collapse of Cross-Border Livelihoods
What was once a lifeline of local survival and cooperation has now been destroyed. Reports from both sides of the border show that food, fuel, medicine, and daily essentials have become scarce and increasingly expensive.
As economic dependency between border communities collapses, poverty deepens and food insecurity worsens. Many families who once relied on small-scale trade, cross-border labor, or limited fuel transport are now in crisis.
Major towns in Sistan and Baluchestan that once served as regional markets have turned into centers of poverty, unemployment, and public discontent. The absence of any major industrial or manufacturing infrastructure has left these communities with no economic alternatives.
The Wall of Division
In recent years—especially in 2025, amid the regime’s wartime posture—the IRGC has accelerated construction of border walls and barriers in areas from Mirjaveh and Milak to Jaleq and Roteq, symbolizing the regime’s policy of complete isolation.
This militarization of the border has not only severed economic and social ties but also intensified the humanitarian crisis in one of Iran’s poorest regions.
Growing Protests
In the past four months, border closures and economic collapse have sparked widespread protests across towns such as Rig-Malek, Mirjaveh, Roteq, and even outside the IRGC’s Salman Brigade headquarters in Zahedan.
Protesters have repeatedly warned that cutting the economic lifelines of border communities will lead to mass unemployment and social explosion. In Rig-Malek, demonstrators recently blocked roads and burned tires, demanding the reopening of the borders and an end to policies that have destroyed local trade.
The situation in Sistan and Baluchestan today reflects a broader truth: the Iranian regime’s security-driven approach to governance—centered on control rather than development—has pushed one of the country’s most deprived provinces to the edge of collapse.
