The block of Strait of Hormuz abruptly halted about a fifth of global trade in oil and gas. The effect on energy prices is the most direct and visible, but the crisis in Persian Gulf it is producing consequences in areas apparently very far from energy.
The invisible threads that envelop the planet now come to light and connections that are anything but intuitive are discovered. Everyone has a swimsuit or fleece shirt in their closet. Well, these garments, often produced in Asia, are made of polyestera petroleum derivative. Along with other synthetic fibers such as nylon and acrylic, polyester accounts for nearly two-thirds of the world’s clothing production.
The domino effect on textile and cotton costs
It happens, however, that the petrochemical plants of Persian Gulf are the main source of raw materials for the textile factories of the Indian subcontinent and the Bangladesh. With supplies interrupted, the cost of synthetic fibers has now increased significantly and therefore Asian textile producers are turning towards natural fibres, especially cotton. Thus, the blocking of Strait of Hormuz indirectly caused an increase in prices of cottonrose by approximately 20% compared to pre-war levels at the end of February 2026. Demand for Indian cotton by the China it quintupled in an instant.
However, the same energy shock that pushes up natural fiber prices also generates risk inflation and recessionwhich could reduce household spending on clothing. That is, we are faced with an unstable balance between demand from textile producers and demand from consumers, which can suddenly collapse.
But it’s not just a question of fabrics. There is also something even less obvious about what suffers the consequences of the war in Iran. For example, thesulfuric acidoriginating as a by-product in copper refining. There China It dominates global copper refining and its smelters sell acid as a complement, a revenue item that has become very relevant lately. This is because ore processing fees in Asia have fallen into negative territory due to stiff competition.
The copper and nickel crisis between China and Chile
When the block of Hormuz created a shortage of sulfur derived from oil processing, the Chinese government limited exports of sulfuric acid to protect the internal market, in particular the food sector fertilizers. Thus, Chinese exports of sulfuric acid to the Chilefor example, collapsed to zero in March 2026, while a year earlier they had amounted to 151,268 tonnes.
The country is the world’s leading producer of copperbut for its refining process depends on the 37% from the acid imported from China. The most recent estimates say that half of Chile’s entire copper generation is now at risk and such a steep decline would have repercussions on the world price of the metal, causing it to soar. The same problem occurs not only on copper but also on nickela very important metal in industry. Nickel refineries in Indonesiathe largest global producer, use sulfuric acid in their industrial process and the majority of Indonesian sulfur imports normally come from Gulf suppliers. For this reason several refineries have already cut output by at least 10%.
The Middle East also hosts smelting plantsaluminum with an annual capacity of approximately 7 million tons, equal to approximately 9% of the global offer. It is a critical component for cars, packaging, construction and solar panelswhere frames created with that material represent over the 10% of the cost of the module. Ad systems Abu Dhabi and in Bahrain were damaged by Iranian attacks and the closure of the Strait interrupted both shipments of the finished product to customers and supplies of alumina to plants still in operation. Prices of this material have just reached four-year highs.
Agriculture and healthcare: the threat to fertilizers and helium
But that’s not all. The Persian Gulf is also a significant supplier of ammonia, ureasulfur and phosphates for a large part of the world markets. These elements are used in the manufacture of chemical fertilizers for agriculture, but the conflict blocked large quantities, causing a rise in prices. The price of urea in the Middle Eastern region increased by more than 50% since the start of the bombings.
Urea is the most widespread fertilizer in the world and mainly serves to supply nitrogen to plants, accelerating their growth and increasing field yields. The corn it is among the most nitrogen-demanding crops and a reduction in its yields spreads to animal feed markets and therefore to meat. The fertilizer-agriculture chain also produces effects in Argentina. The truck drivers who serve the port of Quequénthrough which the 20% of national soybean exports, blocked access to the terminal demanding an increase in tariffs 25%motivated by the war-related increase in fuel prices. Argentina is the world’s third largest exporter of soybeans and the largest global supplier of soybean oil and meal, raw materials for protein animal feed. Again, a prolonged disruption impacts international feed prices. So, the invisible threads are coming to light and the price of meat may soon start to rise.
Among the less suspect impacts of the crisis are those on IT and healthcare. In the world, approximately 35% of thehelium comes from Qatar. It is a byproduct of the liquefaction of methane. It is the essential refrigerant in machinery magnetic resonance imaging and a critical component of semiconductors. If Qatar does not procure it for another two months, the world’s supplies would run out, with direct consequences for chip makers and MRI-equipped hospitals.
It didn’t end here. The bitumen it is a byproduct of oil refining and its price has followed crude oil, rising within days of 47%with an increase of up to 200 euros per ton. The problem is that road maintenance contracts are stipulated at fixed prices months before the works are carried out. Companies therefore find themselves, today, having to carry out work at market prices increased by 30-50% compared to those of the race. All these markets do not have a direct link with each other. What unites them is the dependence on raw materials or by-products that pass through them Strait of Hormuz. The current crisis shows us the extraordinary complexity of the modern world and, at the same time, its extreme fragility.
