The United States-Israel war on Iran, and Tehran’s response, have disrupted about one-third of global supplies of helium, which is critical for medical uses such as MRI scans, as well as in high-tech industries such as the semiconductor sector.This is largely due to shipping restrictions and the halt of production by a chief helium producer, Qatar.How much helium is produced in the Gulf?In 2025, Qatar produced about 63 million cubic metres of helium, constituting a third of the roughly 190 million cubic metres of helium produced globally, according to the US Geological Survey.While other Gulf countries are not chief producers of helium, they are critical to the global supply chain because exports from Qatar and elsewhere depend on shipping lanes and chokepoints in their coastal waters, especially the Strait of Hormuz.On March 2, Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), announced that the strait was “closed” and if any vessels tried to cross it, the IRGC and the navy would “set those ships ablaze”. Since then, shipping through the strait has been significantly reduced.Iranian officials have insisted that the strait is not completely closed – except to ships belonging to the US, Israel and those who collaborate with them – but have also laid down new ground rules: Any vessel mus …
