Foreign arrivals plunged 75 percent since the 12-day war with Israel, Iran’s tourism minister said Wednesday, while international outlets recently reported new visa restrictions imposed by the Islamic Republic.
Reza Salehi Amiri, minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, said plans for recovery were underway amid the challenges posed by the war. “The policy we defined for after the recent war is the product of lengthy expert work in the ministry,” he said.
However, he said that recovery was contingent on broader security conditions. “Our forecast is that within the next six months, if stability is defined and threats removed, we can return to our previous program,” he said.
New visa hurdles
Iran’s foreign ministry enacted new restrictions on visitor entry in the wake of the war, the Travel and Tour World website reported last month. The rules ban individual travel, require official contracts with registered agencies, and oblige travelers to provide their hotel bookings and complete itineraries. A licensed guide must accompany tourists throughout their stay.
Visa applicants must also submit résumés, education records, travel history, and links to their social media accounts, with embassy reviews stretching up to three weeks, according to the outlet. In July, other industry websites circulated the same requirements, which took effect on August 1.
According to August figures, arrivals had already fallen 53 percent from the year before, the deputy tourism minister, Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey, said, attributing the decline to the 12-day war and what he called a campaign of Iranophobia.
Industry strain
Hotel operators have likewise cited losses. Cancellations in western provinces had reached billions of rials, Jamshid Hamzezadeh, head of Iran’s hoteliers’ association, told state media in July.
“Travel has effectively fallen out of priority in many people’s lives,” he said.
Iran’s hotel industry faces challenges that long predate the war. Inflation and stagnant household incomes had already pushed travel out of reach for many families, concentrating spending on food and housing.
The country has also seen a downturn following international warnings from countries such as the US warning against travel to Iran citing fears of arbitrary detention, especially for dual nationals.
Salehi Amiri said last year that the ministry was planning to expand accommodation capacity. “We are obliged to open 100 hotels annually,” he said, adding that many of Iran’s 1,430 existing hotels fall short of international standards.
The discussion about building this number of hotels comes while, according to industry officials, the current newly built hotels do not even have the minimum number of guests to cover their expenses.
The newspaper Payam-e Ma criticized Salehi Amiri's remarks. "It would be better, since the minister himself has said that many hotels are not in a position to attract tourists, for the government to focus on standardizing existing hotels instead of opening new ones," he said.
The country, historically known for its rich cultural and historical heritage as well as its natural beauty, has struggled to attract foreign tourists in recent years. Despite its allure, the country faced challenges such as strict dress codes for women and restrictions on alcohol and nightlife.
Data from the Statistical Center of the Islamic Republic shows that the number of incoming tourists to Iran in 2023 was 6.4 million, up from 4.2 million in 2022, when the Woman, Life, Freedom protests rocked the country.
However, before the pandemic, the peak of foreign tourist arrivals to Iran was in 2018 and 2019, with 7.8 million and 8.8 million tourists entering the country, respectively.
Gamliel said Israel backs Prince Pahlavi, calling him a figure trusted by the Iranian people.
“The choice belongs to the Iranian nation, but we see that Iranians believe in Reza Pahlavi and support him. We in Israel also support him, because we see the people of Iran standing with him,” she told Iran International’s Babak Es'haghi.
Pahlavi traveled to Israel in 2023 at the invitation of then-intelligence minister Gamliel and met Benjamin Netanyahu. However, this is the first time a Netanyahu cabinet member is publicly expressing Israeli support for Pahlavi to overthrow the Islamic Republic.
In June, Israel commenced heavy bombing of Iran’s nuclear and military sites and was preparing a final wave of attacks aimed at toppling Iran’s ruling system when US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, The Washington Post reported in July, citing Israeli and American officials involved in the operation.
Sporadic protests have erupted in parts of Iran after the 12-day war with Israel, mainly over water and power shortages and poverty, but their scope has remained limited.
“No one expects people to take to the streets in the middle of a war," Gamliel told Iran International. "But we showed them their government is very weak. We are dealing with a regime that harms both its people and the world.”
“I firmly believe that when the Iranian people decide on change, we will stand with them with all our strength and goodwill," the Israeli minister said.
Asked about Israel’s vision for relations with Iran following a possible regime change, she said: “We see a future where the two nations cooperate. We have solutions for many of Iran’s problems in agriculture, energy, water, and technology.”
Both Netanyahu and former prime minister Naftali Bennett have previously expressed readiness to help Iranians with water and electricity crises after a regime change.
Prince's team in Israel
Gamliel made the remarks after hosting a delegation of experts dispatched by the exiled prince to Israel.
“The delegation sent by Prince Reza Pahlavi came to receive this knowledge and expertise. We hope one day to continue this cooperation in Tehran,” Gamliel said. “The Iranian people are not alone. We are here to respond, to offer solutions, and to build a better shared future.”
She invoked historic ties, saying: “We truly believe Iranians and Israelis must return to cooperation dating back 2,500 years, when Cyrus the Great allowed Jews to build the Second Temple. Together with Prince Reza Pahlavi and the Prime Minister, we aim to reach a Cyrus Accord —like the Abraham Accords—binding our nations politically, historically and culturally.”
Pahlavi’s senior adviser Saeed Ghasseminejad echoed that message, calling the Cyrus Accord “a symbol of historic Iran-Israel bonds” that could evolve into strategic partnership. He said Israel’s expertise in technology, management and policymaking could help future Iran tackle crises from water shortages to energy and infrastructure.
Pahlavi himself thanked Israel on X, writing: “Thank you, President Isaac Herzog and Minister Gila Gamliel, for welcoming my delegation of experts at a time when the Iranian people are suffering from a severe water crisis, electric shortages, and a collapsing economy. This mission is part of the Iran Prosperity Project, a blueprint for Iran’s rebirth aimed at unlocking our nation’s full potential after the fall of the Islamic Republic.”
He added that Iranian and Israeli experts would not only address the hardships brought about by the Islamic Republic but also “lay the groundwork for the future Cyrus Accords between Israel and a free, democratic, and prosperous Iran—strengthening the deep ties between our nations, envisioned by Cyrus the Great 2,500 years ago."
Larijani, a former parliament speaker and veteran nuclear negotiator, was appointed last month to lead the powerful body in charge of key security decisions, where he also holds a parallel role as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's personal representative.
His mandate places him at the center of Tehran’s decision-making apparatus following a 12-day war with Israel in June, and his comments marked the most dovish yet on renewing US diplomacy by a top security official since the conflict.
“The path for negotiations with the US is not closed; yet these are the Americans who only pay lip service to talks and do not come to the table — and they wrongfully blame Iran for it,” Larijani wrote on X, posting on behalf of the council.
"WE INDEED PURSUE RATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS. By raising unrealizable issues such as missile restrictions, they set a path which negates any talks."
Speaking separately to Iranian media managers, Larijani dismissed Western demands that Iran scale back its missile program as unacceptable.
“The enemy says we must back down from our missile capability. Which honorable Iranian today would want to hand over his weapon to the enemy?” he said. “We also see negotiations as the path to resolving the nuclear issue. But by raising issues such as missiles, (it shows) they don’t want talks to take shape.”
His remarks underscore Tehran’s refusal to link missiles to nuclear diplomacy. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) restricted Iran’s nuclear program but did not directly address missiles. However, UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the deal, included language urging restraint on missile development.
Larijani argued that Washington is using the missile issue to derail diplomacy.
“At present, the Americans do not want to negotiate. After all, the war broke out at a time when we were in the middle of negotiations,” he said, referring to the recent 12-day war with Israel.
Larijani's comments come amid escalating nuclear tensions. Britain, France and Germany — the E3 — have triggered the UN’s “snapback” mechanism under Resolution 2231, seeking to restore pre-2015 sanctions over what they call Iran’s serious non-compliance.
Tehran, backed by Russia and China, has rejected the move as null and void. Iranian lawmakers have even threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if sanctions are reimposed.
The SNSC chief’s statement on Tuesday called restrictions on Iran’s missile program “unrealizable,” signaling that while Tehran insists negotiations remain possible, it will not make concessions on what it considers a core pillar of its defense doctrine.
