The Gulf states are an economic lifeline for Iran

IN DAYLIGHT HOURSUAE the boats leaving Khasab’s port motor off to fish, or ferry tourists to isolated fjords. After nightfall the traffic turns north. Just 100km separate this Omani town from the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran (see map), an hour or two’s journey by chugging dhow. This has made it a long-standing hub for smuggling—although that term suggests a level of skulduggery hardly apparent in Khasab’s sleepy port (pictured above). Authorities tolerate the trade, so long as it happens after dark.A decade ago, as multilateral sanctions piled up on Iran, meant to press it into talks over its nuclear programme, boats headed north stuffed with appliances and luxury cars. On the return journey some carried nervous-looking sheep to be sold in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates (). Business is not quite so good today. Iran has closer trade ties with China and a growing manufacturing sector, both of which diminish the need for refrigerators and televisions lashed to dhows.