Strait of Hormuz

Caught between Iranian collapse, Gulf instability, and a closed Strait of Hormuz, Beijing faces a geopolitical dilemma with no neat solution

A two-week truce has sparked a cautious market rebound, but deep anxiety persists over renewed escalation and its impact on global growth and inflation

Disruptions to Gulf energy and shipping routes are tightening supplies of chemical fertilisers, raising costs from Europe to South Asia and heightening fears of a widening global food crisis

While attention focuses on oil, submarine cables in the Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Strait that link Asia, Europe, and the Gulf are also at risk

From military spending to energy markets, the US-Israeli war on Iran is driving rising costs, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as a central pressure point

As US strikes dismantle Iran's regime and Venezuela's leadership, Beijing confronts energy strangulation, chokepoint vulnerability, regime decapitation, and the shattering of Xi's multipolar ambitions

Riyadh and Cairo are trying to ease the acute oil shortfall through alternative pipelines, but these are just band-aid solutions, as the world's most vital energy corridor remains closed by Iran

Moves to boost non-oil sectors such as tourism and financial services could suffer setbacks if hostilities continue

The strait carries up to 20% of the world's oil exports at around 20 million barrels of oil each day. Any closure could cost the global economy greatly, even if only for a short time.

From spiking crude to dwindling confidence, the sudden and unprecedented escalation between these two regional powers has sent markets into a tailspin