Iran War Turns Gulf Migrant Workers Into Collateral Damage Amid Rising Costs and Deadly Strikes

For years, millions of migrant workers from Asia and Africa have fueled the Gulf Arab economies, enduring grueling conditions for wages far above what they could earn at home. But the U.S.-Iran war, ignited in February and marked by missile strikes and drone attacks, has shattered any illusion of safety for these laborers.

Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun’s story is a grim example. After 15 years working in Saudi Arabia, sending money to his family in Bangladesh, he planned to return this year to build a bigger home and spend time with his young son. Instead, a missile struck his workers’ camp on March 8, leaving him severely burned. He died days later, joining at least two dozen foreign workers killed in the Gulf amid the conflict, according to the Coalition for Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf.

These workers, often excluded from protections like bomb shelters, have been caught in the crossfire as Iran and its allies launch waves of attacks against Gulf facilities and shipping lanes. The United Arab Emirates recently saw its first attack since a fragile ceasefire began, with an Iranian drone causing a fire at an oil facility and injuring three Indian workers.

The war’s economic fallout hits migrant workers and their home countries hard. Remittances from the Gulf are a lifeline for nations like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, making up a significant share of their GDP. Yet the conflict has driven up prices for essentials like gas and fertilizer, squeezing already strained household incomes.

Despite some labor reforms in Gulf states such as Qatar, abuses persist. Many workers remain tied to single employers, lack formal contracts, and face wage theft or arbitrary dismissals. The conflict has worsened these vulnerabilities, with some employers exploiting the situation to withhold pay or deny leave.

For workers like Mamun, the choice to return home is fraught. Leaving means losing a steady, if dangerous, income; staying means risking life and limb amid ongoing hostilities. His family now grapples with the loss and the challenge of recovering his wages, a painful reminder of the human cost of geopolitical gamesmanship.

This war is not fought only on distant battlefields but in the lives of the millions who keep Gulf economies running. Their suffering is a stark indictment of an administration that uses foreign conflict as a distraction while ordinary people pay the ultimate price.