Trade Minister Invites Exporters to Discuss Impact of Hormuz Strait Closure

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Strait of Hormuz is one of the key trade routes in the Middle East. The route has been closed amid Iran’s war against Israel and the United States. Trade Minister Budi Santoso will meet exporters to discuss the impact of the closure and to formulate precautionary steps with business players. ‘Yes indeed, we are anticipating, but for now the plan is that tomorrow we will meet the exporters; we will discuss what problems,’ Budi said at the Ministry of Trade in Jakarta on Thursday (5 March 2026). Budi wants to know the technical impacts experienced by exporters, including industries that rely on imported raw materials. ‘We will discuss what problems, I want to know technically where the exporters’ problems lie,’ he said. The Ministry of Trade says it has not yet calculated a decline in export volumes. The ministry is studying the impact of the Hormuz Strait closure together with the Trade Policy Agency. ‘But we cannot confirm until we also receive input from business players, because this is…’ ‘We have not yet reached that point (which commodities are affected), but what is clear is that products using imported raw materials could be disrupted,’ he said. The Iran–Israel–United States conflict has spread to the Gulf region. The situation intensifies after the spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reported to have died as a result of an Israeli attack. Iran subsequently attacked American military bases and intelligence offices in several Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan.