Global container shipping is facing disruption after US and Israel launched missile strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Iranian retaliation across the Arab Gulf and raising fears of a wider Middle East conflict threatening oil and chemicals supply, reported London's Independent Commodity Intelligence Services (ICIS).

Judah Levine, head of research at Freightos, said the strikes and subsequent Iranian actions are driving significant logistics disruptions that could spread if the conflict continues. The Strait of Hormuz, a key passage linking the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, is the immediate choke point.

Mr Levine said Iran has banned US vessels from transiting but has not officially closed the strait. However, two oil tankers were attacked nearby on Sunday and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned vessels that transits are unsafe.

Lars Jensen, president of Vespucci Maritime, said several Gulf ports have faced operational suspensions, though Jebel Ali has resumed activity after a small fire caused by falling debris.

Mr Jensen said data from Vesselfinder.com shows 17 container vessels above 4,000 TEU capacity are trapped in the Persian Gulf, totalling 156,000 TEU. Another 50 smaller vessels are also stuck, bringing the total to about 200,000 TEU.

Mr Jensen said the trapped fleet equals the world's 13th largest carrier, representing 0.6 per cent of global container capacity. He noted this matches January data from Alphaliner showing the global idle fleet at 0.6 per cent.

Iran's main exports in 2025 were methanol and urea, according to ICIS.