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KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan has closed its air and land routes with neighboring Iran amid the latter's escalating war with Israel, rendering hundreds of people stranded on both sides of the border, officials said on Monday.

The closure, which took effect on Sunday, is likely to cause food and oil shortages in several districts of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Iran and rely on food supplies and smuggled oil from the Islamic republic, locals fear.

There are several land routes connecting Pakistan with Iran, with the most prominent being the Taftan border crossing in Chaghi district and the Gabd-Rimdan border in the Gwadar district of Balochistan.

Balochistan provincial government spokesman Shahid Rind told Anadolu that Pakistan shut the borders following a similar move by Iran.

"All border crossings between the two countries have been closed for trade and pedestrian movement after Iran initiated the closure," Rind said.

However, he added, the crossings will remain open, and Pakistani citizens stranded in Iran will be allowed to return.

But no new entries into Iran will be allowed until further notice, he maintained.

The first batch of stranded Pakistanis, mostly pilgrims and students, is scheduled to return via the Taftan crossing later on Monday.

Several airlines operating from Pakistan to several Iranian cities and Iraq have already suspended all their scheduled flights following the escalating regional tensions, a spokesman for Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority said on Monday.

Border closure hits daily wagers laborers, local residents

The border districts of Balochistan with Iran, including Turbat, Gwadar, Panjgur, Chaghi, Washuk, and Mashkail receive most eatable supplies, including fresh vegetables and fruits, from Iran.

The closure has also hit daily wage laborers and local residents who depend on frequent cross-border movement for their livelihoods and family visits.

"Things have already started to be disturbed in terms of soaring prices, but it's not very serious for the moment because it's just the second day of closure," Basham Baloch, a Gwadar resident, told Anadolu by telephone.

However, he warned, if the border continues to remain closed for more days or weeks, there could be a shortage of oil and food in all the bordering districts.

According to a local administrative official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, "limited" trade activity through the Gabd-Rimdan crossing still continues.

Residents of provincial capital Quetta complained about fuel shortages due to the suspension of the supply of Iranian smuggled oil through the Makran, Rakhshan, and Chaghi areas.

Fuel stations selling smuggled Iranian petrol and diesel were already closed by the district administration last week, which also added to citizens’ woes in Quetta and other districts.

However, Rind, the Balochistan government spokesman, said there is no fuel shortage in the province, as most petrol pumps are open in Quetta.

He said the "so-called" shortages are being exaggerated by those who want to lift the ban on smuggled Iranian fuel.

The two countries share a 909-kilometer (565-mile) border, which separates Balochistan from the Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan.