Iran safety score cut as US strikes resume and Hormuz tensions rise

We lowered Iran's safety score from 5.5 to 4.8 on Country To Live. The calm stretch that justified our June bump has broken. US air strikes on Iranian targets have returned for multiple nights in a row, and fighting around the Strait of Hormuz is back in the headlines.

This is an editorial scoring update for people comparing countries on our site. It is not travel permission, visa advice, or a personal security briefing.

Why we changed the score

• Multi-night US strikes are back. Al Jazeera reporting on 20 July 2026 describes a ninth consecutive night of US attacks, with explosions reported in several Iranian cities and coastal areas.
• The interim ceasefire did not hold. A month-old pause that helped our June score has unravelled. Both sides are again trading strikes, which raises civilian risk and makes daily life harder to plan.
• Hormuz shipping risk is rising again. Coverage ties the renewed fighting to control of the Strait of Hormuz, oil tanker exposure, and wider regional spillover. That matters for anyone living near Gulf ports or relying on stable fuel and goods.
• This is a partial reverse, not a full reset. We are not dropping back to the spring crisis low of 4.2. The cut of 0.7 reflects a clear return of conflict risk without claiming every city is under the same pressure tonight.
• Other Iran scores stay as they are this round. Cost of living and housing affordability on the Iran country page did not move with this update. Connectivity remains weak after our earlier internet speed cut.

What the number means on our site

Safety on Country To Live reflects how comfortable a typical international mover might feel about unrest, conflict spillover, and crisis risk. A 4.8/10 puts Iran back toward our higher-risk band for relocation comparisons.

Peers many people weigh next still sit higher on this axis, including Turkey and the UAE. Open the Iran country page for the full score set, put Iran in our compare tool next to a regional backup, or browse all country scores after this change.

Before you plan a move

1. Read your government's latest travel advisory. Official guidance can change faster than our score notes during active conflict weeks.
2. Do not treat a quieter city week as a permanent green light. Strikes, air defence activity, and logistics shocks can return quickly.
3. Separate safety from cost. Iran can still look cheap on paper while conflict risk keeps remote work, banking, and family moves hard.

We will publish another update if a durable ceasefire holds again or if the conflict widens further.

This note explains our editorial scoring only. It is not legal, immigration, or personal safety advice.