# How wars reshape global trade routes

> When the Strait of Hormuz closed in 2026, it exposed how vulnerable the world's energy and trade networks had become to conflict.
- Title: How wars reshape global trade routes · POLITICO | Shortify
- Summary: When the Strait of Hormuz closed in 2026, it exposed how vulnerable the world's energy and trade networks had become to conflict. A US-Israel-Iran war in…
- Keywords: strait of hormuz, energy security, global trade, middle east conflict, supply chain resilience, international energy agency, uae, india-middle east-europe economic corrid, politics, world, wars, reshape
- Source: POLITICO — https://politico.eu/sponsored-content/securing-energy-and-trade-flows-in-geo-economic-conflicts
- Published: 2026-10-05T04:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: strait of hormuz, energy security, global trade, middle east conflict, supply chain resilience, international energy agency, uae, india-middle east-europe economic corrid, politics, world
## Trade became a weapon
Governments once saw global trade as neutral ground that made countries more secure. Now they use tariffs and export controls as tools of power, turning interdependence into a double-edged sword.
## Narrow waterways hold world trade hostage
The Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and bab el-Mandeb Strait are chokepoints where disruption can halt global commerce. In 2023, Red Sea attacks forced containers around Africa, raising insurance and fuel costs.
## War closes the Strait of Hormuz
On February 28, 2026, as the US-Israel-Iran war started, the Iran Revolutionary Guard shut the Strait of Hormuz to control oil exports from the Gulf Cooperation Council.
## Oil exports collapse within weeks
Within two weeks, the International Energy Agency reported that exports through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen to a tenth of normal flows. Asian importers took the worst hit, highly dependent on Gulf crude.

> exports through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen to a tenth of normal flows
## Disruption spreads beyond oil
Urea fertilizers also flow through the strait. Supply disruption led to higher food prices globally. The damage rippled through multiple markets, not just energy.
## Gulf states build alternative routes
The UAE created the Habshan-Fujeirah pipeline, started in 2008 and finished in 2012, to export oil without using the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf countries demonstrated resilience by finding alternatives.
## Three strategies to secure trade
Countries can spread risk through land routes like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. Friend-shoring moves supply chains to allies. Stockpiling provides time for diplomacy. In March 2026, the IEA released 400 million barrels of emergency reserves.
## Global costs rise for fuel and food
The crisis affects everyday experiences worldwide through shifting costs for fuel, farming and food supplies. Lasting stability in the post-conflict Middle East requires departing from past patterns of emergency reaction.
## Key takeaway

A US-Israel-Iran war in 2026 shut the Strait of Hormuz, cutting oil exports to a tenth of normal flows and forcing countries to build alternative trade routes and stockpile reserves.