Final Thoughts
April 9, 2026
Eyes on Iran
Written by Stephanie Ritenbaugh
A fragile two-week ceasefire has been struck been struck between the US and Iran. But much damage has already been done in the six weeks since strikes began.
Beyond the scale of human casualties, key infrastructure has been damaged across the region, from energy production to aluminum facilities. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz shows little sign of recovery. About 1,000 vessels are still waiting to navigate the strait, according to CRU Group, AMU’s parent company.
All of this has important implications for the global aluminum industry.
Given the importance of the Persian Gulf to aluminum markets — smelters in the Gulf region produce about 9% of global supply — AMU took a deep dive into what each country in the region produces.
The series focuses on the specific products and companies in the region that have historically moved into the US market – and remain important to US buyers.
It begins by focusing on the facilities at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) in the United Arab Emirates and Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) in Bahrain, which were targeted on March 28.
“Headline figures tend to frame the impact in terms of global supply or unwrought aluminum flows. However, that framing doesn’t reveal how the US has engaged with these producers in recent years,” AMU’s Nicholas Bell reported.
The series continues with a look at other producers in the UAE and Bahrain, as well as Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Events have unfolded quickly in this conflict. Hopefully, more positive developments emerge in the coming days. Either way, AMU will continue to track the impact and provide clarify on what it means for the market.
