Nournews analysis presents chilling calculus: One blocked strait, instant market meltdown, and a worldwide depression that would dwarf 2008
In what can be interpreted as a brazen act of economic brinkmanship, a major Iranian state-affiliated outlet has issued a blood-chilling warning to the United States and its allies: Attack Iran, and you will unleash a financial tsunami that will drown the global economy in weeks.
The analysis, published by Nournews—a media outlet with close ties to Iran's Supreme National Security Council—eschews military threats for something far more terrifying to Western capitals: the specter of complete economic annihilation. The message is clear, stark, and intentionally alarming: The Strait of Hormuz is not Iran's vulnerability; it is the Western world's economic jugular, and Tehran is reminding Washington that it knows exactly where to squeeze.
The Arithmetic of Armageddon
The numbers presented in the analysis read like a doomsday prophecy for energy markets and global finance. The Strait of Hormuz, described as the "most sensitive bottleneck of the world economy," is the transit point for 35% of global crude oil trade—approximately 20 million barrels daily. But oil, the report warns, is merely the beginning of the nightmare.
According to the data, 26% of global gas condensate trade, 20% of worldwide LNG shipments, and over 15% of chemical products, fertilizers, and petrochemical derivatives traverse these narrow waters. The report deliberately emphasizes dependencies that strike at Western food security and industrial capacity—commodities ranging from essential foodstuffs to cement and industrial base materials—all flowing through this single, perilous chokepoint.
"The world’s dependence on this strategic passage extends far beyond crude oil," the analysis states, driving home a threat that transcends energy markets. "Even short-term disruption in this route can create price shocks and widespread instability in global energy markets."
From Regional Conflict to Global Depression
The article transforms the Strait from a regional flashpoint into a global economic weapon. It highlights that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations—including five core OPEC members—control nearly one-third of global oil production, with the Middle East's share projected to surge from 31% to 40% by 2050. This is not presented as energy trivia, but as a strategic reality: Western economies are becoming more dependent on Hormuz, not less.
Perhaps most alarmingly for Washington and European capitals, the analysis quantifies the region's evolution into a $3 trillion trade hub. With 75% of Saudi and Omani exports, and over half of UAE exports, tied to energy, the implicit threat is devastatingly simple: Close the strait, and you sever the economic lifeline of America’s closest regional allies while simultaneously detonating the global supply chain.
"The Security of the World's Pocket"
The Nournews piece culminates in a phrase designed to send shivers through Wall Street and Western finance ministries: "Stability in the Middle East is equivalent to the stability of the global economy and the 'security of the world's pocket.'"
This is not journalistic observation; it is strategic communication. By framing Hormuz as the guardian of global financial stability, Tehran is warning that any US or Israeli military strike will be met not merely with missiles, but with the economic equivalent of mutually assured destruction. The inflationary spiral, the collapse of equity markets, the freezing of international shipping insurance, and the potential for $300+ barrel oil are presented not as possibilities, but as inevitabilities.
The Message to Washington
For the Trump administration and its allies in London, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh, the subtext is unmissable: You cannot bomb Iran without bombing your own economy. The article weaponizes economic interdependence, transforming the strait into a "geopolitical risk focal point" where American military superiority meets its match in financial vulnerability.
As tensions simmer and carrier groups patrol the Gulf waters, the warning from Tehran's media ecosystem serves as a sobering reminder: In the 21st century, the most devastating weapon may not be the bomb, but the ability to close a narrow stretch of water—and watch the global economy burn.