Capitals, March 3 (SANA) A sharp escalation in U.S.–Israel–Iran tensions is turning the Strait of Hormuz into a chokepoint for global commerce, threatening not only energy markets but also food supplies and critical shipping networks.
Major shipping companies have begun avoiding the strait after repeated attacks on oil and gas tankers, while insurers have withdrawn war-risk insurance coverage. Many vessels are now rerouting around Africa, driving up transport costs and straining global supply chains.
Ship-tracking data show more than 150 vessels — including crude and LNG carriers — stalled in or near the waterway, with clusters forming off the coasts of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Iran’s announcement that it was closing navigation through the strait sent Brent crude prices up more than 8% and pushed European gas prices higher, as Asian governments and refiners rushed to reassess emergency reserves.
The disruption is spilling into global food systems. Roughly one-third of the world’s fertilizer shipments, including sulfur and ammonia, normally pass through Hormuz from producers in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to markets in Asia, Brazil and Africa.
Any prolonged blockage risks tightening supplies of agricultural inputs and raising food prices worldwide. The Middle East is especially exposed, relying heavily on imported staples that transit the same route.
During the June 2025 U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, rice shipments from India to the region were halted — an early warning of how fragile food flows can become when the strait is destabilized.
