The US-Israeli war against Iran is disrupting key trade routes into the Gulf, raising concerns about longer-term food security in one of the world’s most import-dependent regions, experts told Al-Monitor.

Roughly 61 million people in the Gulf rely on established food supply chains, many of which have been upended since the United States and Israel launched their attack against Iran on Feb. 28. The conflict has brought traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping choke point through which most of the Gulf’s food imports normally pass — to a near standstill amid the fighting. On Thursday, Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said the strait must remain closed, challenging the United States and Israel to blink in the face of the global and regional economic consequences of the conflict.

Another key supply route, air freight, has also been disrupted, with thousands of flights canceled as Iran launches missiles and drones at Israel and targets in neighboring Gulf states, including US bases and embassies. The aviation industry has been upended in ways not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to aviation data firm Cirium, more than 46,000 flights have been canceled since the war began.

Stable for now