opinion
The Fertilizer Squeeze: How a Closed Strait Is Quietly Setting Up the Next Food Crisis
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following US and Israeli strikes on Iran has cut off roughly 30 percent of global fertilizer exports, sending urea prices above $700 per ton and threatening crop yields across Africa, Asia and Latin America. With nitrogen fertilizer production tied to Gulf LNG and no strategic reserves to draw from, the spring 2026 planting season is now exposed in ways that may not surface in food prices until 2027.
The Latitude Report · Oct 26, 2026