Analysis from West Point warns that strait of Hormuz blockade will strangle US defense industry

<p>Report shows how minerals critical to defense readiness have seen a ‘near total’ disruption in seaborne trade</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox</a></p></li></ul><p>The closure of the strait of Hormuz is causing a “paralyzing, real-time problem” for any prospective manufacturing surge in the US defense industrial base, and even for the repair of defense equipment damaged by Iranian attacks, according to <a href="https://mwi.westpoint.edu/the-chokepoint-we-missed-sulfur-hormuz-and-the-threats-to-military-readiness/">analysis published</a> by West Point’s Modern War Institute.</p><p>In particular sulphur, a vital upstream input in the extraction of critical minerals including copper and cobalt, has seen a “near total” disruption of seaborne trade in the straits, which makes up half the world’s total shipments, and prices <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/sulfur">have spiked nearly 25%</a> since the war began, and seen a 165% rise year on year, the report said.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/19/west-point-analysis-iran-war-costs">Continue reading...</a>

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