Jackie Northam

You know, there are roughly 120 cargo ships in limbo at ports in the Gulf region.

And not surprisingly, shipping companies are not accepting new bookings because, you know, we've got all this fresh food and the other things sitting there.

And they have no idea, the companies, how long the conflict's going to last.

And as I spoke with, say, the shipping industry is, you know, designed to keep things moving.

And the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is scrambling.

That cargo is piling up, stress on the ports, things are slowing down, and all this is not good from a market standpoint.

Lukewarm, I would say.

You know, the U.S.

Navy also tried this in the Red Sea using escorts to protect ships from attacks by Yemen's Houthis.

And I'll say, you know, it didn't have much impact.

And let's face it, Iran is more sophisticated than the Houthis from a military point of view and its ability to target moving vessels.

And traveling alongside a U.S.

naval vessel might make a tanker or a container ship vulnerable.

more of a tempting target for Iran.

But, you know, Steve, Iran knows that launching the odd missile or drone at a vessel or even a threat of one can strangle marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz like we're seeing now.

And it's using that as a weapon.

And, you know, this bottleneck is creating serious threat for the global energy shipping and, frankly, the global economy.

NPR's Jackie Northam, thanks so much.

Thank you.

A panel of 88 clerics chose overwhelmingly to make Mojtaba Khamenei Iran's new supreme leader.