Effects on the South Korean economy:

The oil refining and petrochemical sectors face the most direct impact. Korea imports 70.7 percent of its crude oil and 20.4 percent of its LNG from the Middle East. “We are trying to secure crude supplies, but if the situation continues we may have to reduce refinery operations,” an industry representative said. “If that happens the impact could spread to other industries.”

Yeochun NCC, which can produce 2.29 million tons of petrochemical products a year, told major customers on Wednesday that deliveries may be delayed because supply problems have disrupted production. As factories needed less raw material, companies kept only one to two months of naphtha — a petroleum-based liquid used to make plastics and other chemicals — in storage.

A prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz could delay shipments of vehicles and auto parts while increasing logistics costs.

The semiconductor industry is also watching shipping costs closely. Helium, a key material used to cool lithography equipment and check wafer leaks in semiconductor production, largely comes from Qatar. About 90 percent of the helium used in Korea is imported from the country.

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2026-03-08/business/industry/Strait-of-Hormuz-closure-affecting-Korea-Inc-from-oil-to-petrochemicals-chips-and-autos/2539546

An 80-year-old nonprofit that advises conscientious objectors says its phone is "ringing off the hook" as American service members who object to the US-and-Israel-initiated war on Iran are seeking guidance on how to avoid being a part of it. Ominously, the group's executive director says the breadth of force mobilization is much like the run-up to the ground invasion of Iraq.

"Phone has been ringing off the hook," wrote Center on Conscience & War executive director Mike Prysner on X. "A LOT more units have just been activated for deployment than the public knows about." Founded in 1940, the Center on Conscience and War provides guidance to military service members pursuing a conscientious objector (CO) status or a discharge. The group also opposes military conscription.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/conscientious-objector-group-phone-ringing-hook-huge-mobilization-underway

So in addition to a looming shortage of fertilizer, promising badly for next harvest, farmers in Australia, one of the world's biggest food exporters, can't get hold of diesel to harvest their current crops.

One would think Netanyahu could supply the sulfur and Trump endless amounts of helium.

Blocking the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a sharp rise in the price of sulfur – a narrowly specialized byproduct of oil and gas refining that is crucial for the production of fertilizers, chemicals, the semiconductor industry, and metals processing.

According to global trade assessments, disruptions in sulfur supply have affected more than 44,000 companies; the biggest impacts were recorded in China and India. The price jump underscores the vulnerability of supply chains tied to the Persian Gulf region, which accounts for roughly 45% of the world’s sulfur exports. The fertilizer industry is the largest consumer of sulfur – about 60% of global demand.

Indonesia, the largest nickel producer, is heavily dependent on sulfur imported from the Middle East. Chris Lawson of CRU noted that a sulfur shortage will initially hit the fertilizer industry, but sooner or later it will also affect copper and other metallurgical sectors. Mining billionaire Robert Friedland stated that disruptions in sulfur supply will affect copper production in Africa, which is a major importer of sulfur.

The largest chipmakers – TSMC, Samsung and SK Hynix – rely on a range of chemicals that are transported through the Strait of Hormuz. They use sulfuric acid to clean wafers and helium to cool during production. Roughly one-third of helium reserves come from Qatar.
https://mezha.net/eng/bukvy/hormuz_blockade_triggers/

https://mezha.net/eng/bukvy/hormuz_blockade_triggers/

Correction: Politico24 is a fake website, impersonating Politico. This report is false. I'll leave it up as a reminder to beware of fake news in the future.

Refugees used for dual purposes: This will enable Israel to exterminate Gaza ("displacement pressures"). Europe will be destabilized and weakened even further with the addition of millions of angry Palestinians.

At an emergency closed-door cabinet meeting, Chancellor Friedrich Merz instructed relevant ministries to draft plans for large-scale reception and integration capacities, the source said.

The initiative includes provisions for the German state to finance the evacuation and transportation of Palestinian refugees to Germany.

Under the proposed framework, arriving refugees would receive standard social benefits available to those granted subsidiary protection or refugee status, including Bürgergeld (citizens’ allowance) at the current rate – roughly €563 per month

According to the source, preliminary internal assessments envisage distributing the potential 400,000 arrivals among the eastern Länder.

https://politico-24.com/article/germany-prepares-to-accommodate-up-to-400000-palestinian-refugees-senior-official-says/