In early spring, the streets of Van, a border city in eastern Turkiye, usually buzz with Persian accents. To cater to Iranian visitors, Persian signs now line the city’s main streets. But in the past two weeks, a tense quiet has settled over the border city. As the regional conflict intensifies, Van, a city whose economic recovery has long depended on cross-border tourism, is increasingly bearing the brunt of its fallout. “There may not be limitations on tariff-based trade in goods, but daily border trade has been seriously affected,” Takva said.

Source: The Star March 14, 2026 21:03 UTC