The Iran War's Next Threat Is to Food and Water

"The scorching, oil-rich desert sands have precluded the development of much, if any, agriculture, forcing governments to rely almost entirely on imported food. Most of those imports arrive through the Strait of Hormuz, the slender waterway that is now effectively closed to commercial shipping because of the threat of mines and drone attacks from Iranian forces and their proxies."

"Last year, the World Economic Forum found that about 85 percent of all food consumed in member countries of the GCC is imported. (The equivalent number in the United States is about 15 percent.) The Gulf's dependency on imports rises to nearly 100 percent for rice and 90 percent for cereals."

"Some 70 percent of all food imports for those six countries pass through the strait, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and then the Arabian Sea. Iran's throttling of traffic in the strait-one-fifth of the world's oil supply runs through the roughly 20-mile-wide channel-already has driven oil above $100 a barrel."

Arabian Peninsula nations built modern societies through oil wealth, attracting millions of expatriate workers to cities like Dubai and Doha. However, this development strategy created a severe dependency on imported food due to the region's desert climate preventing agriculture. Approximately 85% of food consumed in Gulf Cooperation Council member states arrives through imports, with 70% passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Current Iranian military threats, including mines and drone attacks, have effectively closed this critical waterway to commercial shipping. This disruption threatens food security for 60 million people while simultaneously affecting global oil supplies, driving prices above $100 per barrel.

Read at The Atlantic