Global Supply Chains Disrupted After Iran Blocks Strait of Hormuz

Japan's largest snack maker Calbee will switch its products from colorful packaging to black-and-white labels by the end of May 2026. The company cited a shortage of naphtha, an ink ingredient derived from petroleum. Forbes reported that Japan imports 40 percent of its naphtha consumption from the Middle East via the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February 2026. Iran has blocked the passage since those attacks began. The naphtha shortage is also affecting manufacturers of cars, bathrooms and paint, according to the New York Times.

Yamayoshi Seika paused production of its Wasabeef potato chips due to a lack of heavy oil for factory machinery. The same Hormuz shipping disruption triggered that halt. In India, a lack of aluminum needed to make cans has led to a scarcity of Diet Coke.

That scarcity has spurred "Diet Coke parties" where the drink is sold at significant markups. Some restaurants in India have warned they will be forced to close due to a shortage of cooking gas. Factories in the country's ceramics industry have halted production as natural gas shortages impact kiln operations.

Qatar stopped producing helium in March 2026 after Iranian strikes hit two liquid natural gas facilities. Qatar accounts for about one-third of the world's helium supply. The resulting shortage threatens the operation of MRI machines and the manufacturing of artificial intelligence chips, smartphones and electric vehicles.

Tungsten is needed for AI chip manufacturing and is also critical for armor-piercing munitions. U.S. and Israel are burning through American tungsten stocks in the war. The conflict is also heavily impacting the world’s supply of sulfur, much of which comes from Persian Gulf oil refineries.