A number of Afghan industrialists and traders are worried about Israeli airstrikes on Iranian ports and the possible damage to their goods.

As Israeli attacks on Iran continue, the Herat’s Chamber of Commerce and Investment (CCI) has expressed concern over the goods belonging to Afghan traders and industrialists stored in Iran’s Bandar Abbas, TOLOnews reported on June 18.

According to officials from the CCI, Bandar Abbas is one of the key routes for importing goods into Afghanistan.  Every day, hundreds of containers carrying commercial goods, including raw materials for Herat's industrial zone, enter the country via this port.

Younes Qazizadah, head of the Herat’s Chamber of Commerce and Investment, stated: “One of the major and strategic import routes of the country is through the warm waters of Bandar Abbas.  We are concerned about the situation in Iran and hope that significant damage does not occur to Iranian ports and Afghan traders' goods stored in Bandar Abbas.”

The Herat Chamber of Industries and Mines reportedly also says that amid ongoing threats of Israeli airstrikes on Iranian ports the process of loading and transporting Afghan traders' goods at Bandar Abbas has slowed down.

Mohammad Naser Amin, head of the Herat Chamber of Industries and Mines, told TOLOnews: “We’ve received many calls from industrialists saying that raw materials have been held for a period in Bandar Abbas under the pretext of testing.  We request that the processing procedures be expedited, as this is an emergency situation. In such a state, our raw materials, which are only in transit, should not be held there.”

A number of Afghan industrialists and traders are worried about Israeli airstrikes on Iranian ports and the possible damage to their goods.

Toryali Ghawsi, an industrialist in Herat, said: “Each industrialist who has goods in Bandar Abbas is worried that their merchandise may be lost. We hope that our goods remain undamaged and are safely transported into the country.”

TOLonews says that according to Iranian media reports, Bandar Abbas has been targeted multiple times by Israeli airstrikes in recent days; however, Iran’s air defense system has reportedly intercepted these attacks.