March 19, 2026
Sulfur, straits & spicy comments
The strait of Hormuz blockade will strangle US defense industry
Sulfur shock, copper crunch, and a comments war: panic, profits, or patience
TLDR: A report says the Hormuz blockade is choking sulfur shipments, spiking prices, and threatening U.S. defense repairs that depend on copper and cobalt. Commenters split between “this is profiteering,” “this is doomsday,” and “everyone calm down,” with skeptics questioning the data and whether the crisis is real or just hyped.
A new report from West Point’s Modern War Institute says a Hormuz choke point is turning into a sulfur shock—half the world’s seaborne sulfur flows through that narrow strait—and prices are spiking. Why should you care? Sulfur feeds sulfuric acid, which helps pull copper and cobalt from rock, the stuff inside chips, jet engines, and drone batteries. The report warns this could slow repairs and restocking, with one jaw-dropper: over 30,000 kg of copper just to replace two destroyed U.S. radars.
But the comments? Absolute fireworks. One camp is yelling war profiteering, with pjc50 teasing “in this case…” as prices soar. Doomers like jmstfv call Hormuz “a toll booth by Iran,” predicting inflation meltdown and the petrodollar’s funeral. The calm-down crowd, led by redwood, says it’s week three—U.S. planners saw this coming, so breathe. Meanwhile, kvuj goes full audit mode: if only 6% of defense contractors have clear supply chains, how can anyone claim the industry will be “strangled”? Then a curveball from DivingForGold: sulfur pits looked “pretty full” at a Texas refinery—so is this crisis… or content?
Memes flew: “DoD to DoorDash sulfur,” “FastPass for Hormuz,” and “sulfuric acid is the world’s hottest sauce.” The only thing rising faster than prices? The comment temperature.
Key Points
- •Modern War Institute reports near-total disruption of seaborne sulfur trade through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about half of global sulfur shipments.
- •Sulfur prices have risen nearly 25% since the war began and 165% year over year, impacting sulfuric acid production for copper and cobalt extraction.
- •Critical minerals (copper, cobalt) underpin defense systems such as microprocessors, jet engines, drone batteries, and radars, affecting U.S. defense readiness.
- •The report estimates over 30,000 kg of copper are needed to replace two destroyed U.S. radars in Bahrain and Qatar, plus thousands more kilograms for other damaged equipment in the region.
- •A separate analysis co-written by Matisek found only 6% of U.S. defense contractors have fully transparent supply chains, constraining military replenishment efforts.