The True Cost
of the Iran War

Everyday families paying the price. For ordinary Iranians, this war means shattered hospitals, collapsed electricity grids, and fuel shortages halting ambulances. Iran's economy is forecast to contract by more than 10% of GDP in 2026 (Chatham House). That's pharmacies with empty shelves, families who can't refrigerate insulin, children in blacked-out classrooms.

American families feeling it at home. Gas is up $0.98/gallon nationwide. Diesel jumped from $3.75 to $5.37/gallon (+43% in one month). Every sustained $10 rise in oil costs U.S. households ~$450 extra per year (Moody's). Grocery prices are rising because the Strait of Hormuz controls roughly one-third of the world's fertilizer exports — and those shipments have stopped.

New Zealand is not insulated. 🇳🇿 NZ imports ~75% of its liquid fuels. Petrol prices have risen sharply, hitting lower-income households hardest. NZ's key trading partners — China, the EU, and the US — are all at elevated recession risk, threatening export revenues. The RBNZ is watching closely as imported inflation could force a pause on planned rate cuts.

Global South on the edge. Debt-laden developing nations already stretched by pandemic recovery are now rationing fuel. Economists warn of a potential debt crisis wave across Africa and Southeast Asia if Northern central banks raise rates to combat war-driven inflation.