ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian authorities are gradually permitting Kolbars from the Kurdish-majority areas in western Iran (Rojhelat) to resume their burdensome work after nearly four months of suspension that left thousands without income.
"A loaf of bread in Iran now costs 1,700 Tomans [nearly 10 cents]. Truly, living expenses are very high. Whoever comes here does so because they are impoverished, nothing else,” Ali Azizi, a Kolbar, told Rudaw on Tuesday.
Kolbar is defined in Kurdish as a cross-border porter who transports untaxed goods on his back or on pack animals across rugged mountains, facing extreme health and security risks.
Kolbars have been prevented from their laborious way of earning a living since late February, when the United States and Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Iran, triggering a direct confrontation that lasted for nearly six weeks before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April.
The Iranian government has recently permitted about 500 Kolbars to pass through the cross-border points with the Kurdistan Region, down from its pre-war permission of around 2,000.
These Kolbars pay taxes to the Iranian government.
However, thousands of Kolbars remain unlicensed by the government, transporting untaxed and illegal commodities.
Economic desperation in Rojhelat overshadows the grueling nature of the work, forcing many to spend their lives on the border. Widespread unemployment in Iran has driven many into the trade as a Kolbar, where they must endure extreme weather and physical exhaustion to survive.
“There was no business, no income, and the border was closed. There was nothing,” Osman Ali, a Kolbar, told Rudaw, adding that “it reached a point where people were working in chicken coops for free just to avoid being jobless."
The Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) view the borderlands through a strict military and security lens, and border guards regularly open fire on Kolbars navigating unofficial mountain paths.
At least 19 Kolbars were killed and 21 others were injured on the borderlines in 2025, according to the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network.
To curb violence and contain internal unrest, Iranian authorities have issued “Kolbar cards,” allowing Kolbars to pass through the crossing points.
However, in addition to limiting the porters, the measure has imposed other restrictions, including capping the transported weight to 12 kilograms per individual.
Andam Jabar contributed to this report.
