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Conflict involving Iran and other parties across the Middle East continues to create uncertainty for global commodity trade and logistics, with freight markets closely monitoring developments affecting key transport routes.
Shipping through strategically important waterways in the region remains subject to heightened risk, prompting some operators to reroute vessels, pause transits or factor in additional security and insurance costs. These adjustments are contributing to longer transit times, tighter vessel availability and upward price pressure for commodities moving into and out of the region.
Conditions remain fluid, and logistics disruption – rather than outright supply loss – is currently the primary channel through which the conflict is affecting physical markets. The latest coverage from Fastmarkets of the war, and its implications for trade and logistics, is set out in the stories listed below.
Europe’s pulp and paper producers faced persistent headwinds in the first quarter of 2026, with geopolitical tension, rising energy costs and logistics pressure shaping a market that matters to food and beverage procurement.
Global sack kraft supply-demand dynamics are adjusting, with tight supply, mill closures and rising costs reshaping a market that matters to food and beverage procurement teams.
Prices for recycled fiber-based containerboard in the GCC region were mostly up in May amid mixed market demand.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows, has been closed for three months since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, driving up energy costs and putting Europe’s aluminium sector under pressure.
A widening gap between rising Indonesian containerboard prices and weak packaging demand is creating market uncertainty, fueled by global conflicts and supply chain disruptions.
Recent Middle Eastern tensions and a sharp drop in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz could present a major opportunity for Russian pulp producers.
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