We have reached an unprecedented moment in human history. If this war with Iran continues for an extended period of time, we will be facing the greatest energy disruption in human history and the greatest food production disruption in human history simultaneously. Many were hoping that Iran would agree to the Trump administration’s proposal for a 30 day ceasefire, but it was obvious that was never going to happen. The Iranians have completely rejected Trump’s 15 point plan, and they are demanding that the U.S. must agree to permanent Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz before any negotiations even begin. Needless to say, the U.S. will never agree to that, and so the war will rage on.
For now, Iran is determining which vessels are allowed to travel through the Strait of Hormuz…
Iranian crude tankers continue to pass through the maritime chokepoint — vital to about a third of the world’s seaborne crude oil — along with a few others that Iran has let pass through, said Matt Smith, U.S. head analyst at Kpler.
In a post on X Tuesday, MarineTraffic, which is operated by Kpler, said Iran appears to now be pursuing a strategy in the strait where it allows “selective vessel passage” to provide “strategic signaling,” rather than imposing a full disruption of global crude supply through the waterway.
The post included an animated map of sparse maritime traffic traveling through the waterway. Nine vessels have crossed since Monday, according to MarineTraffic data released early Tuesday.
Several news reports indicate Iran has begun charging vessels up to $2 million to pass through the strait. Smith said Kpler could not confirm reports of such tolls.
Some readers may be tempted to think that it is good news that nine vessels have been able to go through the Strait of Hormuz so far this week.
But approximately 2,500 others remain trapped in the Persian Gulf…
On Tuesday, HormuzTracker, which provides a Strait of Hormuz shipping-disruption dashboard, showed that there are around 2,500 vessels still trapped inside the Persian Gulf, with 400 waiting outside of the strait.
This is truly a nightmare scenario.
Desperately needed supplies of oil and natural gas are not going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
And now Iran is threatening to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as well…
Iran could open a new front in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if attacks are carried out on its territory or islands, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim reported, citing an unnamed military source.
“If the Americans intend to take action regarding the Strait of Hormuz, they should be careful not to add another strait to their challenges … Iran is fully prepared to escalate the situation,” Tasnim quoted the source as saying.
Iran is literally trying to paralyze the entire global economy in order to gain as much leverage as possible.
One energy industry economist is openly admitting that we have never “seen anything like this”…
“We’ve not seen anything like this — there’s been no disruption of this scale in the past,” Gareth Ramsay, chief economist at oil and gas giant BP, told the conference. “It’s every oil analyst’s study piece or worst nightmare — one that we never thought would happen.”
He is right.
This is unprecedented.
And every single day that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues to be disrupted things will get even worse.
Already, the price of diesel has reached all-time record highs in California and Washington…
The announcement, made by GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan on Wednesday, comes as gas prices have continued to rise across the U.S. in recent weeks. The national average cost of a gallon of gas was $3.983 on Wednesday, according to AAA, whereas a week ago, it was at $3.842. A month ago, the national average was below $3 per gallon. Diesel prices have also been climbing higher, with two states setting a new all-time record for the price of a gallon of diesel on Wednesday.
“California and Washington have both now set new all-time records for average diesel price,” De Haan posted with an image of a graph that showed diesel prices surging past $7 in California and $6 in Washington.
There are more than 11 million diesel trucks in the United States.
That number represents about 75 percent of the entire commercial truck population.
If the price of diesel reaches 10 dollars a gallon, it will be absolutely devastating for the commercial trucking industry in this country.
Over in Europe, they are facing widespread energy shortages “as soon as next month”…
Europe could face a shortage of energy and fuel as soon as next month without a reopening of the strait of Hormuz, Shell’s chief executive has said.
The boss of Europe’s biggest oil company said it was working with governments to help them address the oil and gas supply crisis, which has already led to energy rationing in Asian countries.
The beginning of next month is just days away.
Will EU politicians start implementing “energy lockdowns” in a desperate attempt to conserve oil and natural gas?
Of course this war isn’t just going to cause a global energy catastrophe.
The spring is when farmers in the northern hemisphere plant their crops, and right now vast quantities of fertilizer are locked up in the Persian Gulf region…
Farmers in the Northern Hemisphere are heading into the crucial spring months, during which major fieldwork must begin. Their peers in the south, meanwhile, are busy harvesting crops before the winter sets in.
However, their work now takes place as the Iran war creates serious supply constraints for essential fertilizer products — fueling massive price spikes and warnings of looming food insecurity.
Around one-third of the global seaborne fertilizer trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Nations.
What are we going to do if we can’t get that fertilizer out of the Persian Gulf before planting season is over?
One industry insider is warning that “this could be catastrophic if it lasts long”…
David Delaney, the chief executive officer of phosphate producer Itafos Inc., said he can’t recall a tougher time across his four decades in the industry. After the war broke out, the United Nations warned of record levels of hunger this year. If the conflict continues for even a few more months, tens of millions of people may face severe food insecurity.
“The world is just used to big crop plantings every year and yields and crops getting to where they are needed,” he said. “I don’t want to sound the alarm too much yet, but this could be catastrophic if it lasts long.”
I discussed this in a previous article, but I don’t think that a lot of people out there fully understood that implications of what I shared.
Wheat is an annual crop that is planted every year.
Studies have shown that application of nitrogen fertilizer can increase wheat yields by up to 62 percent.
If we do not get nitrogen fertilizer into the hands of farmers in the northern hemisphere, we are going to have far less wheat in late 2026 and beyond.
Barley is also an annual crop that is planted every year.
Studies have shown that application of nitrogen fertilizer can increase barley yields by up to 25 percent.
For corn, the difference is even greater.
The amount of corn grown on an acre can more than double if nitrogen fertilizer is applied.
Just think about that.
We are talking about a dramatic drop in production.
Of course crops that are not planted annually will not be greatly affected by this fertilizer crisis.
Grape vines can go decades without fertilizer and they will just keep producing year after year.
And some olive trees that have been alive for more than 1,000 years are still bearing plenty of fruit with no problem at all.
The bottom line is that we could see a historic drop in production for annual crops such as wheat and barley, while there may be very little difference for crops that do not have to be planted annually such as grapes and olives.
This is where we are at.
No matter how much some people may want to deny it, the facts will not change.
The only way we can avoid what is ahead is if the war comes to a swift conclusion.
But that is not likely to happen any time soon, and so a lot more pain is on the way.
Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing. You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter. Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites. These are such troubled times, and people need hope. John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.