Why the Iran war is threatening whales near South Africa

The United States-Israel war on Iran has disrupted global supplies of energy, fertilisers, medicines and even helium, devastating economies around the world. Now it’s also threatening whales off the coast of South Africa. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list Fighting involving the Houthis had already turned vessels away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal since 2023. Now the rival restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, imposed by Iran and the US, have amplified that shift. But the rising volume of shipping traffic near South Africa’s coast has “substantially increased” the risks of whales being struck, researchers have warned. That’s according to a study presented this month at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which noted that South Africa’s southwestern coast is increasingly busy, affecting the area’s significant populations of whales. Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, near Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026 [Reuters] Why have shipping routes shifted? Traffic in the Red Sea area was initially disrupted back in November 2023, when Houthi rebels began targeting vessels sailing the area in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. More recently, the attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently blocked by Iran, have also caused shipping companies to reroute vessels from the Middle East to go around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. The disruptions have almost doubled the traffic in the area. …