ISTANBUL — Iran’s economic crisis is pushing more workers out of steady employment and making even backup jobs harder to find as the war, sanctions and trade disruptions drive up the cost of fuel, food, housing and vehicle repairs. Iran’s official unemployment rate stands at 9%, but independent analysts say the figure understates the damage. Jobvision, a major Iranian employment website, reported a 50% increase in résumé submissions in late April alone. Alireza Mahjoob, head of Iran’s Workers House labor organization, acknowledged the severity of the problem on state television in May. “We don't know how much it will afflict our already fragile working class, leaving us all helpless and powerless,” he said. Rasoul, a 42-year-old engineer in Tehran, had expected his technology job to provide financial security. If that job disappeared, he told his wife, he could drive for Snapp, Iran’s ride-hailing service. That fallback failed after internet restrictions disrupted the global networks his employer relied on, damaging the company’s delivery operation. Customers began leaving, and Rasoul was laid off by mid-February. He later drove for Snapp at night to cover expenses. But rising fuel prices, expensive repairs and the danger posed by continuing U.S. airstrikes quickly consumed his earnings. He eventually depended on relatives for support and put plans to start a family on hold. Rasoul found a sales-management position in July, but said the continuing conflict left his future uncertain. “We're like passengers on a train,” he said. “We don't know if the bridge ahead is broken or intact.” The crisis is also spreading through industries linked to international trade. Kayvan, another 42-year-old Tehran materials engineer, helped a Chinese company establish a business supplying raw materials to Iran’s oil sector. When fighting intensified and maritime routes were disrupted, clients stopped placing orders and the venture collapsed. “The environment became so unsafe,” Kayvan said. “Transit routes and shipping routes were shut down, the Strait of Hormuz was closed, sea transport became impossible.” Kayvan’s household has survived on his wife’s income and dwindling savings. He described inflation and price increases as unlike anything his family had previously experienced. The accounts illustrate how sanctions and war can compound the failures of an already fragile economy: businesses lose access to customers, transport and communications, while workers face higher costs and fewer ways to replace lost income. For many families, the result is borrowing for basic needs and postponing major life decisions while waiting for a conflict they cannot control to end.