{"id":109542,"date":"2026-04-29T23:06:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T23:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/the-war-in-iran-isnt-just-driving-up-food-prices-its-revealing-who-really-sets-them-global-issues\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T23:07:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T23:07:37","slug":"the-war-in-iran-isnt-just-driving-up-food-prices-its-revealing-who-really-sets-them-global-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/the-war-in-iran-isnt-just-driving-up-food-prices-its-revealing-who-really-sets-them-global-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"The war in Iran isn&#8217;t just driving up food prices \u2013 it&#8217;s revealing who really sets them &#8211; Global Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content\">\n<figure class=\"img-with-caption ips-feature-image\"><figcaption>In recent decades, agricultural commodities have transformed from commodities to financial assets. The market anticipates future disruptions and prices will rise faster than the underlying conditions. Credit: Bigstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul id=\"author-page-update\" class=\"small secondary\">\n<li class=\"author\"><span class=\"opinion\">Opinion<\/span> By Mihaela Ciritanu (<span class=\"city\">London<\/span>)<\/li>\n<li><time datetime=\"2026-04-29\">Wednesday, April 29, 2026<\/time><\/li>\n<li class=\"news-source\">inter press service<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>LONDON, Apr 29 (IPS) &#8211; As the United States and Israel put a 2026 attack on Iran on hold, most eyes are on oil. Tankers have been rerouted around the Strait of Hormuz, oil standards have climbed and insurance costs have soared. But while the headlines focus on energy, warning signals are already starting to shine from food commodities markets.\n<\/p>\n<p>Tension continues to rise in the Middle East, but<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aafarmer.co.uk\/markets\/grain-prices-rise-as-conflict-continues.html\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.aafarmer.co.uk\/markets\/grain-prices-rise-as-conflict-continues.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1777554686323000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2VTvZ9ZSrj85-iTF5C4w-u\"> Global wheat and corn supplies remain relatively good<\/a> And there has been no significant interruption in production. As yet<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ahdb.org.uk\/news\/arable-market-report-07-april-2026\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/ahdb.org.uk\/news\/arable-market-report-07-april-2026&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1777554686323000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Lb5183SOoqFTdGyI44TOZ\"> UK wheat futures have risen to almost \u00a3183 a tonne<\/a> \u2013 their highest level since mid-November \u2013 after rising by more than \u00a32.60 in a single week. Also, fertilizer prices \u2013 a key input for future crops \u2013<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/emissary\/2026\/03\/fertilizer-iran-hormuz-food-crisis\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/emissary\/2026\/03\/fertilizer-iran-hormuz-food-crisis&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1777554686323000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2vfrw1pRuS5IyhjJZWWU2I\"> Has doubled since the beginning of the year,<\/a> However, the main impact on crop production is not yet known.<\/p>\n<p>These are early warning signs \u2013 not of crop failure, but of how today&#8217;s food system responds to crisis. Food prices have started increasing, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fao.org\/worldfoodsituation\/foodpricesindex\/en\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.fao.org\/worldfoodsituation\/foodpricesindex\/en\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1777554686323000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2UcWY4ab-fcg2LlS_QmKiL\">FAO food price index continues to rise in February and March 2026<\/a>Although crops have not yet been damaged, crops have not been destroyed, and global production has remained broadly stable. The crisis is unfolding in real time, even before any material shortages become fully apparent.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, real factors matter \u2013 but they work in very different ways. When oil prices rise, they contribute to food production through higher fertilizer costs, more expensive transportation, and increased energy use on farms.<\/p>\n<p>But these are gradual pressures: They work their way through the system over months, as farmers buy inputs, plant crops, and bring the crop to market. The prices associated with these costs will generally increase gradually in line with actual changes in production.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, prices are rising immediately, driven less by the current shortage than by expectations of what might happen. The market anticipates future disruptions and prices will rise faster than the underlying conditions. In this system, financial markets are no longer simply reflecting reality \u2013 they are actively reshaping it.<\/p>\n<p>In recent decades, agricultural commodities have transformed from commodities to financial assets. Wheat, corn and rice are now traded not only by farmers and traders, but also by hedge funds, investment banks and institutional investors looking for returns.<\/p>\n<div class=\"simplePullQuote3\">In wealthy countries, high food prices affect household budgets. In much of the Global South, where food accounts for the bulk of income, the same increase could push families closer to hunger. Even if local supply conditions remain stable, import dependent countries will have to pay prices determined on global markets.<\/div>\n<p>Financial instruments such as commodity index funds allow large amounts of capital to flow into these markets, often disconnected from actual supply and demand. Large trading companies are spread across both physical and financial markets, allowing them to exploit volatility rather than profit from it.<\/p>\n<p>When geopolitical shocks occur, this capital moves quickly. Investors position themselves ahead of expected disruptions, driving up futures prices that affect importers, retailers and consumers. So the Iran crisis is not only raising costs, it is activating a financial system prepared to raise them.<\/p>\n<p>The results are global but uneven. In wealthy countries, high food prices affect household budgets. In much of the Global South, where food accounts for the bulk of income, the same increase could push families closer to hunger. Even if local supply conditions remain stable, import-dependent countries will have to pay prices determined on global markets.<\/p>\n<p>These pressures are not purely economic. The political impact of rising food prices can be destabilizing. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.strausscenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/researchbrief-no-11_final-2.pdf\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.strausscenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/researchbrief-no-11_final-2.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1777554686323000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2hMxiD10R_eRdmFAL42Hqu\">The rising cost of staple foods has long been linked to social unrest, including in the lead up to the Arab Spring<\/a>When rising bread prices contributed to protests in North Africa and the Middle East. This reflects a broader pattern in which rising food costs \u2013 fueled by market speculation \u2013 increase the potential for unrest by intensifying existing social and economic grievances.<\/p>\n<p>This helps explain a persistent paradox: hunger is constantly increasing in a world that produces more than enough food. The problem is not just production, but access \u2013 and increasingly, how prices are formed.<\/p>\n<p>That system was built over decades: on the one hand, through the deregulation of commodity markets in the global North, which opened the door to large-scale speculative investment, and on the other hand, the deregulation of exports globally through IMF and World Bank programs, which promoted market liberalization, privatization, and the dismantling of public price stabilization mechanisms that left many countries vulnerable to instability.<\/p>\n<p>The emerging food price pressures associated with the Iran conflict should therefore be considered more than a temporary blip. They are a warning sign. If prices can rise before shortages occur, food insecurity is no longer simply a matter of supply. This is a function of how markets are organized.<\/p>\n<p>Unless that system is addressed, each new geopolitical crisis \u2013 whether in Iran or elsewhere \u2013 will continue to ripple through food markets in a way that will deepen inequality and increase hunger. The next food crisis is not just growing in farms. Its price is already being determined.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>mihaela siritanu<\/strong> is a political economist for the Bretton Woods Project<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a9 Inter Press Service (20260429194637) &#8211; All rights reserved<\/em>. <cite class=\"original\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ipsnews.net\/2026\/04\/the-war-in-iran-isnt-just-raising-food-prices-its-revealing-who-really-sets-them\/\">Original source: Inter Press Service<\/a><\/cite><\/p>\n<aside id=\"after-content\">\n<h2>Where next?<\/h2>\n<section class=\"box\" id=\"where-next-group\">\n<div class=\"tabs\">\n<div id=\"tab-content-news-headlines-related-categories\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n<h3 class=\"tab-heading\">related news<\/h3>\n<p>Browse related news topics:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tab-content-news-headlines-latest\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n<h3 class=\"tab-heading\">latest news<\/h3>\n<p>Read latest news stories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">The war in Iran isn&#8217;t just driving up food prices \u2013 it&#8217;s revealing who really sets them.<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Wednesday, April 29, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Climate-induced disruptions to education in Africa increase security risks for millions of children<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Wednesday, April 29, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">intra-border rivalry<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Wednesday, April 29, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Pacific Islanders combat mercury poisoning in the environment<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Wednesday, April 29, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Seychelles&#8217; Blue Bond: turning maritime vision into action<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Wednesday, April 29, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">UN human rights chief warns of escalating crackdown in Iran amid conflict<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Wednesday, April 29, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Iran crisis shows fossil fuel-based energy system is &#8216;inherently unstable and unsustainable&#8217;<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Wednesday, April 29, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Addressing the mental health of Ukrainian children living on the war front<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Tuesday, April 28, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Corruption in Bangladesh: Will development partners remain partners?<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Tuesday, April 28, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Solidarity for what?<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Tuesday, April 28, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tab-content-news-headlines-related-in-depth\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n<h3 class=\"tab-heading\">depth in<\/h3>\n<p>Learn more about related issues:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"social-bookmarks\">\n<h2>share this<\/h2>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<p>Bookmark it or share it with others using some popular social bookmarking web sites:<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<details id=\"link-to-here\">\n<summary>\n<h2>Link this page to your site\/blog<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<p>Add the following HTML code to your page:<\/p>\n<pre><code><p>The War in Iran Isn\u2019t Just Raising Food Prices \u2014 It\u2019s Revealing Who Really Sets Them, <cite>Inter Press Service<\/cite>, Wednesday, April 29, 2026 (posted by Global Issues)<\/p><\/code><\/pre>\n<p>&#8230;to produce it:<\/p>\n<p class=\"result copy-code-to-clipboard\">The war in Iran isn&#8217;t just driving up food prices \u2013 it&#8217;s exposing who really sets them, <cite>inter press service<\/cite>Wednesday, April 29, 2026 (Posted by Global Issues)<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In recent decades, agricultural commodities have transformed from commodities to financial assets. The market anticipates future disruptions and prices will rise faster than the underlying conditions. Credit: Bigstock Opinion By Mihaela Ciritanu (London) Wednesday, April 29, 2026 inter press service LONDON, Apr 29 (IPS) &#8211; As the United States and Israel put a 2026 attack<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[1090,537,99,312,5087,2256,72,2883,6052,367],"class_list":{"0":"post-109542","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bible-news","8":"tag-driving","9":"tag-food","10":"tag-global","11":"tag-iran","12":"tag-isnt","13":"tag-issues","14":"tag-prices","15":"tag-revealing","16":"tag-sets","17":"tag-war"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109542"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109544,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109542\/revisions\/109544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}