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Why the world must act now and put an end to the war
This war will definitely end, but no amount of resilience will help the world rise from its ashes if it does not end now
- PUBLISHED: Thu 16 Apr 2026, 8:19 AM UPDATED: Thu 16 Apr 2026, 12:06 PM
[This article is part of a series on Khaleej Times' 48th anniversary, celebrating a legacy of credible journalism that informs, reassures and connects communities.]
When the US and Israel launched coordinated aerial attacks against Iran on February 28, the effects were undeniably felt across the world. Ensuing headlines did not only talk about the atrocious Iranian retaliation across the Gulf region, potential regime change, massive casualties and destruction, but also the economic repercussions felt from Manila to Mumbai, from Sri Lanka to South Korea, Europe, Africa, the Levant region, and Washington itself — particularly after reports of US military personnel killed and wounded started coming in.
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Global trade was disrupted following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 per cent of the world’s daily oil supply and approximately 34 per cent of global crude oil trade transited before the war. The International Energy Agency called it the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
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Daily lives of people living thousands of miles away from the conflict area drastically changed. The surging crude oil prices sent transport workers, fishermen and farmers worrying about their source of livelihood as their jobs were dependent on fuel to power equipment, vehicles and machinery. Millions of homes in India felt the rampant LPG shortage and thousands of migrant workers were forced to return to their respective hometowns because of the crisis.
Fears about depletion of critical medical supplies like syringes, gloves and dialysis equipment were felt in hospitals, even in countries like Japan, as the supply of these products was subject to availability of petrochemicals that pass through the narrow waterway blockaded by Iranian forces, and now US personnel.
The Hormuz strait closure has also choked the global supply of aluminium, feedstocks, and fertiliser, prompting the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to raise the alarm of “an irreversible food security crisis that could persist until 2027”, particularly in developing countries.
Rearing its ugly head, the conflict also went beyond its physical manifestation. While belligerents exchanged missile and drone attacks, a new theatre of war was created — invisible, and borderless as AI-fueled cyber breaches surged and the digital world was distorted by partisan hostile states and criminal enterprises.
From the onset, the US-Israel-Iran war was never just a regional conflict; the global economic damage has been steadily rising, and despite a brief truce and reports of another round of peace talks, the increasingly volatile situation only requires a concerted global action. This war will definitely end, but no amount of resilience will help the world rise from its ashes if it does not end now.
