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A pro-Pahlavi monarchist terrorized Iranian female footballers in Australia in broad daylight, ramming his car into the athletes' bus multiple times while decorating his pickup with monarchist and Australian flags. Follow: T.me/PressTV
African states became independent in the post-1945 order, and they've known no other system. It's now broken. The challenge of how to define and defend its people and core interests is existential because Africa was colonized in a world very much like the one emerging in 2026
49% of the world's urea exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Urea is the most-used nitrogen fertilizer on Earth. The Haber-Bosch process turns natural gas into ammonia, ammonia into urea, and urea into food. It alone is responsible for feeding ~4 billion people. Half the nitrogen atoms in your body were placed there by this reaction. Qatar's largest urea plant has already shut down. Prices are up 35% in one week. The spring planting window in the Northern Hemisphere is right now. Nitrogen has to be applied at a specific point in the growing cycle. Miss it and the yield loss is permanent for that season. The same 21-mile chokepoint that cut off naphtha to five chemical plants last week is now cutting off the nitrogen that grows our food.
✅Strait of Hormuz Chokepoint: This 21-mile-wide waterway carries about 45-49% of the world's urea exports. Since the Iran conflict erupted in March 2026, shipping has virtually stopped—tankers are stuck, insurance costs have skyrocketed, making passage nearly impossible. ✅Qatar's Major Plant Shut Down: QatarEnergy halted LNG production after Iranian attacks, forcing the shutdown of QAFCO (the world's largest single-site urea facility, ~5.6 million tons/year) starting early March. This hits 10-14% of global urea supply directly. ✅Sharp Price Surge: Urea prices jumped from around $470/ton to $550-700/ton (some reports show 40-70% spikes in just 1-2 weeks). With spring planting peaking in the Northern Hemisphere right now, missing nitrogen application means permanent 20-30% yield losses for this season. ✅Food Security at Risk: The Haber-Bosch process (turning natural gas into ammonia → urea → food) feeds roughly half the world's population. In import-dependent countries like India and Bangladesh, plants are already closing due to LNG shortages—higher fertilizer costs will drive up grain prices and could worsen hunger in poorer regions. ✅What's Next?: If the blockade lasts 4-6 weeks, alternatives like Abu Dhabi pipelines or ramped-up supplies from Russia/Canada will be needed. But short-term, crops will suffer the most. India and other big importers face the hardest hit. ✅This isn't just about oil—it's about what ends up on our plates and global food security. 🤔What do you think—how many days or weeks will this crisis drag on?
