The war shut down every long-term supplier in a week. But the permanent damage may not be Bangladesh’s problem.
It is a clear admission that the war failed to deliver its stated objectives. No regime change, no oil conquest, no uncontested control of the Strait of Hormuz, no elimination of Iranian nuclear capabilities without serious concessions.
The Strait of Hormuz is in crisis, disrupting the global economy. Asia, in particular, faces a coming storm with a prolonged closure -- the Strait carries the lifeblood of Asia's economy.
From the Strait of Hormuz to the Bay of Bengal, the United States is fighting a war it has never fully declared -- one waged not against Tehran or Caracas, but against the architecture of a Chinese-led economic order.
Iran is delivering a master class in asymmetric warfare with real life military, geographic, and economic consequences.
Already, there are signs of classic crisis behaviour. Panic buying, hoarding, informal resale of fuel at inflated prices, and rising tensions at petrol pumps. These are not the symptoms of a stable system. They are the early tremors of a breakdown in trust.
Iranian leadership has demonstrated remarkable resilience, shaped by the mosaic defence, the bolster policy of Iran after the death of Kashem Soleimani.
If Bangladesh builds an SPR, it must not repeat either failure mode: Not scarcity through neglect, and not expansion without scrutiny. That, finally, is the real argument for a Bangladeshi reserve. Not a monument. Not another expensive ribbon-cutting exercise. A shield.
International law and global stability are not distant abstractions for Bangladesh but essential pillars of economic resilience and national planning.
For Bangladesh, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would not represent a diplomatic crisis with Tehran. It would represent a market crisis. The country’s exposure lies in its increasing dependence on globally traded LNG without deep diversification, strategic reserves, or substantial domestic alternatives.
