Any prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to tighten global energy supplies with each passing day.

The 30-day exemption, which is still being developed, is set to apply broadly to vessels moving oil, gasoline, diesel, liquefied natural gas and fertilizer among U.S. ports.

With tanker traffic through the strait dropping by 90%, it's not hard to draw a straight line between the ongoing conflict and widespread supply chain disruptions.

Since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began, transportation through the vital Strait of Hormuz route has come to a standstill, briefly driving oil prices up close to $120 a barrel.

Suppliers reported that just 37% of invoices were paid on time in 2025, down from 42% the previous year, and from 54% in 2019.

VW CEO Oliver Blume told shareholders that the company's post-tax profits fell by roughly 54% year-over-year in 2025.

Jet fuel prices in the U.S. have surged during the war in the Middle East — more than doubling on a year-to-date basis.

Antwerp Court of Appeal President Bart Willocx warned that Belgium has become increasingly vulnerable to drug smuggling at its busiest shipping hubs.

Companies remain caught between a court ruling that invalidated the tariffs, and a government that has yet to fully acknowledge how it intends to unwind them. 

 Marine Traffic estimates that tanker transits through the Strait of Hormuz were down by 90% between February 25 and March 4.