The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been causing concerns for primary aluminium supply around the world. At the same time, it is also raising questions about the supply of raw materials to the Middle East, a region heavily dependent on imported primary aluminium raw materials, many of which pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Situation intensified after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime shipping routes linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

For the Middle East’s aluminium industry, the closure raises a pressing question: how resilient is a major aluminium-producing region that depends heavily on imported raw materials? While the region accounts for roughly 8–9 per cent of global aluminium output, its smelters rely largely on overseas shipments of bauxite and alumina-the two key inputs required to produce aluminium.

Any prolonged disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz could therefore quickly translate into supply stress for primary raw materials in the Middle East. Aluminium smelters typically maintain only three to four weeks of alumina inventory, meaning extended delays in cargo arrivals could force producers to cut output, tightening global aluminium supply and pushing prices higher at a time when demand remains firm.