A war far from Tehran but ever-present in southern Iran

Ships in the Strait of Hormuz, near the beach at Bandar Abbas, Iran, July 27, 2026. RAZIEH POUDAT/ISNA VIA REUTERS Every night at 10 pm, Sobhan (a pseudonym used for security reasons, as with all other sources cited in this article), a resident of Bandar Abbas, strains to listen. At the slightest sound, this 37-year-old craftsman tries to determine whether the noise is an Iranian air defense shot or an explosion. "At the slightest sound, we stop, look at each other and ask – aloud or just with a glance: 'Did you hear that too? What was it?' Then, we try to figure out where it came from," he said, contacted via Telegram, an encrypted messaging app blocked in Iran but accessible with a VPN. At night, Sobhan regularly wakes to check the news, on alert for reports of a new attack. Since hostilities resumed between Iran and the United States on July 7, American airstrikes have largely targeted the south of the country, particularly along the Persian Gulf. This strategic area stands at the heart of tensions, as Washington seeks to reduce Tehran's influence over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime passage for global energy trade. The Islamic Republic announced the closure of the strait on July 12 and regularly targets ships attempting to cross without its authorization. You have 77.53% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.