Parts of the Middle East are being cut off from vital food imports as vessels avoid the Strait of Hormuz, raising the risk of shortages across the Gulf and adding pressure to already high food prices in Iran.
Most of the ships carrying grain and food to feed people in the Gulf region pass through the important waterway. Of the roughly 30mn tonnes of grain imported into the Gulf region last year, about 14mn tonnes went to Iran, with most of those flows transiting Hormuz, according to data from commodities analytics company Kpler.
Saudi Arabia imports about 40 per cent of its grains and oilseeds through its eastern Gulf ports, Kpler estimates. The United Arab Emirates brings in about 90 per cent of those commodities through Jebel Ali in Dubai. It also handles containerised food and perishables for at least four countries — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar — serving roughly 45mn to 50mn people.