Get audio access with any FP subscription. Subscribe Now ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

Get audio access with any FP subscription.

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

As the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran enters its fifth day, cascading threats to the global economy and supply chains are becoming more apparent, especially regarding shipping and air travel.

Due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, some 3,000 ships of all types are stranded, including around 10 percent of the global container ship fleet. (One container ship was also struck by a drone on Wednesday.) 

As the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran enters its fifth day, cascading threats to the global economy and supply chains are becoming more apparent, especially regarding shipping and air travel.

Due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, some 3,000 ships of all types are stranded, including around 10 percent of the global container ship fleet. (One container ship was also struck by a drone on Wednesday.) 

But the more visible impact, especially for thousands of foreign citizens stranded in the region, is the sudden shutdown of nearly all civil aviation.

Most countries in the Middle East still have closed airspaces, including Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Qatar. Some, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have begun to partially open their airspaces but are far from operating at normal capacity. Airlines have canceled more than 18,000 flights to a region that has become a central hub in the global air-transport business. 

That is becoming a headache for the Trump administration, which........

© Foreign Policy