The Iran War’s Hidden Front: Food, Water, and Fertilizer

(Michael Werz – Council on Foreign Relations) The consequences of the Iran conflict, which are already being felt in the region, will reverberate globally as an exacerbated food crisis swells. The normally bustling Gulf is not only a regular channel for crude oil but for food and crucial agriculture fertilizers as well. But with the war at risk of expanding and the Strait of Hormuz shuttered, the effect on these states and the role they are unable to play in global food markets will prove significant. The countries in the region—which boast over 60 million people—are particularly exposed to food shocks. They are almost entirely import-dependent when it comes to rice (77 percent), corn (89 percent), soybeans (95 percent) and vegetable oils (91 percent), according to Institute for Public Policy Research. Any disruption of supply chains will quickly have significant consequences. In Iran, food price inflation has risen 40 percent in the past year, prices for rice have increased sevenfold, green lentils and vegetable oil threefold. It is likely that new overland transport corridors will open, putting Russia, Turkey, and Syria in a position of strategic control over vital supplies. Saudi Arabia traditionally imports through its Red Sea ports which have been massively affected because of attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. – The Iran War’s Hidden Front: Food, Water, and Fertilizer | Council on Foreign Relations