How the 2026 Iran War Is Reshaping the Global Furniture, Carpet, and Textile Supply Chain

The largest oil supply disruption in modern history is sending shockwaves through every corner of the furniture, carpet, rug, and textile industries. Since the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the re-closure of Red Sea shipping lanes, crude oil surging past $100 per barrel, and container rates doubling have created a cost crisis stretching from Gaziantep to Dalton, Georgia.

This article tracks the data — country by country, commodity by commodity — so suppliers, manufacturers, and buyers can plan with facts.

The conflict is now in its 26th day. The International Energy Agency has called it the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. IEA member nations released 400 million barrels from emergency reserves on March 11. The Dallas Federal Reserve estimates that each quarter the Strait of Hormuz remains closed will reduce global real GDP growth by 2.9 percentage points. The World Economic Forum described it as a structural shock to the world economy.

For an industry already enduring what Mohawk Industries CEO Jeff Lorberbaum called "a recession for almost four years," this conflict compounds an already difficult environment. But the impacts are not uniform. Some producing countries face existential cost pressures. Others hold surprising competitive advantages. Understanding the difference will matter enormously for sourcing decisions in the months ahead.

The conflict at a glance

All sourcing and logistics teams

On February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military sites and leadership targets. Iran retaliated with hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones. By March 2, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. Daily vessel transits collapsed from approximately 138 ships per day to just 5–6 — a 95 percent drop. At least 21 confirmed attacks on merchant ships have occurred since hostilities began. Roughly 170 containerships carrying an estimated 450,000 TEU are trapped inside the Persian Gulf.

Iran has established a selective passage regime, allowing Chinese, Indian, and Pakistani-flagged vessels limited access while blocking Western-affiliated shipping. Japan negotiated passage rights independently. Meanwhile, Houthi forces in Yemen resumed attacks in the Red Sea, forcing all major container lines to re-suspend Suez Canal transits and reroute via the Cape of Good Hope.

On March 19, the U.S. military began a campaign to reopen Hormuz, destroying over 130 Iranian naval vessels. As of March 25, President Trump has postponed strikes on Iranian power plants for five days, citing what he called "productive talks." Iran denies any negotiations are underway.

Oil, gas, and energy: the cost foundation has shifted

Products using petroleum-derived materials: PP, polyester, nylon, foam

The price of every petroleum-derived material used in furniture and carpet production — polypropylene, polyester, nylon, foam — traces back to crude oil.

European manufacturers face a particularly acute energy squeeze. EU industrial electricity prices average roughly twice U.S. levels and nearly 50 percent above China. The IEA reports that industrial gas prices for European consumers have averaged 30 percent higher than China and five times higher than the United States since 2021. Wood Mackenzie forecasts European gas prices could nearly halve by 2030 as LNG supply expands — but that is cold comfort for manufacturers absorbing the current war-driven spike.

The Federal Reserve held rates steady at 3.5–3.75% at its March 18 meeting. Chair Powell acknowledged deep uncertainty about inflation. Goldman Sachs has pushed rate cut expectations to September at the earliest. Some economists now forecast zero cuts in 2026 if energy-driven inflation persists.

Raw materials: a mixed picture of spikes and surprises

Machine-made carpet manufacturers · Hand-knotted rug producers · Textile mills

Not all materials are moving in the same direction. The carpet and textile industries face a complex map of pressures.

Polypropylene — alongside polyester, one of the two primary fibers in machine-made rugs and carpets — shows significant regional variation. IMARC reports European PP at approximately $1,570/MT (up 16% year-over-year), Northeast Asian PP at $1,010/MT (held down by massive Chinese overcapacity), and North American PP at $1,240/MT.

Turkey is heavily import-dependent for PP. Petkim, the country's only integrated petrochemical producer, has PP capacity of just 144,000 tons — against national demand of 2–2.5 million tons. That means roughly 94% of Turkey's PP is imported. Saudi Arabia is typically the largest single supplier, but Turkey also relies materially on Russia, South Korea, Egypt, and other origins. IndexBox data shows Turkey absorbs approximately 81% of all Middle Eastern PP imports — 1.9 million tons in 2024.

Saudi PP production capacity is actually expanding — SABIC and Advanced Petrochemical have major projects underway — yet ChemOrbis reports Turkey's PP import prices still rose approximately 5% since January, with constrained arrivals from the Middle East, Russia, and the U.S. across multiple grades. The cause is not a production shortfall but a delivery pipeline disruption: Saudi exports to Turkey ship from Jubail on the Persian Gulf coast, transiting the Strait of Hormuz. With the strait effectively closed to Western-affiliated shipping, Turkey's primary PP supply route is severed — even as global production capacity remains adequate. Total Turkish polymer imports hit an all-time high of 6.3 million tons in 2025, a rebound from a dip below 6 million tons in 2024.

Polyester feedstocks spiked hard — and this matters increasingly for rugs, not just textiles. Polyester has become a co-primary fiber alongside polypropylene in machine-made area rugs, driven by consumer demand for softer hand-feel, washability, and recycled-PET sustainability credentials. In India, the combined cost of PTA and MEG — the two building blocks of polyester — surged 29 percent in early March, rising from Rs 80/kg to Rs 103/kg within two weeks. Indian polyester yarn raw materials reached Rs 115–120/kg, up 15–20% in three months. The cause is directly tied to the conflict: a portion of MEG feedstock is sourced from the Gulf, where shipments have faced disruptions, while domestic producers have prioritized internal consumption.

The polyester spike is cascading through the entire value chain. Man-made fibre and PET producers raised prices multiple times since the conflict began. As of late March, naphtha surged 12.7% week-over-week and MEG rose 16.4%, compressing the price gap between polyester and cotton and reshaping blend economics across Asia. For rug manufacturers in Turkey, Egypt, and China that use polyester yarns — including the fast-growing recycled-PET segment — these feedstock increases translate directly to higher production costs. Egypt's Oriental Weavers, the world's largest machine-made rug producer, uses both PP and polyester across its product range and faces this dual-material cost squeeze.

Nylon is a relative bright spot. Persistent global oversupply has driven nylon 6 prices in Asia down 28% year-over-year to $1,200–1,300/MT. Even in the U.S., nylon 6 is at $2,610/MT, down 5%. Nylon 6 accounts for 67 percent of global carpet fiber yarn.

Cotton tells a story of weather risk layered on top of war risk. USDA data shows ICE May 2026 futures settled at 67.67 cents/lb on March 19 — down about 6% year-over-year. But a dramatic drought across 88 percent of U.S. cotton-producing areas (up from 33% a year ago) triggered a massive short squeeze in mid-March. If the drought persists, 2026 crop abandonment could rival the devastating 2011 season.

Wool has been the biggest commodity surprise. Australian Merino wool prices surged 38% year-over-year to 1,751 AUc/kg — the highest point since June 2019. Drivers include shrinking flock sizes, strong Chinese demand, and Italian spinners expanding into wool accessories. For hand-knotted rug producers in India, Nepal, and Afghanistan, this represents significant cost pressure.

Jute — used for carpet backing, area rugs, and packaging — has surged approximately 50% since early 2025. Indian mandi prices reached ₹9,100/quintal (~$1,056/MT) in February 2026, up from approximately ₹7,000 a year earlier. Bangladesh raw jute trades at Tk 4,000–4,200/maund (~$960–1,010/MT). The surge is driven by three compounding factors: Bangladesh export restrictions imposed in September 2025, an India-Bangladesh trade dispute that shut land border crossings for jute imports, and declining Indian production (down from 92.5 to 81.3 lakh bales). India's government raised the minimum support price for raw jute to ₹5,925/quintal for 2026-27 — but actual market prices are 53% above that floor. Turkey, which imports 137,000 MT of Bangladeshi jute yarn annually for carpet backing, is directly exposed to these price increases.

Timber and rubberwood prices remain relatively stable. Global soft sawnwood sits at approximately $290/MT, essentially flat. U.S. lumber futures trade near $590 per thousand board feet, up a modest 2.75% year-over-year.

Shipping and logistics: a two-ocean crisis

Importers routing through Suez or Hormuz · Freight procurement

The simultaneous closure of both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has created what the industry has never experienced: a two-chokepoint shutdown.

Cape of Good Hope rerouting adds 10–14 days to Asia-Europe voyages and $200–400/TEU in direct fuel and operational costs. This rerouting absorbs approximately 2–2.5 million TEU of global container capacity — effectively neutralizing the overcapacity that had been building from a 19 percent fleet expansion since late 2023. Container lines are unlikely to return to Suez in 2026.

War-risk insurance has spiked by 1,000–5,000 percent. A single voyage through the conflict zone for a $200–300 million tanker now carries a $7.5 million insurance bill versus $625,000 pre-war.

One crucial bright spot: Mediterranean-to-U.S. transatlantic routes bypass both chokepoints entirely. Turkish exports to the United States travel via the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, touching neither Hormuz nor Suez. This gives Turkey — and to a lesser extent Morocco, Tunisia, and European producers — a significant logistics advantage over Asian competitors right now.

Turkey: the carpet capital under pressure but strategically positioned

Buyers sourcing machine-made rugs from Gaziantep · Turkish furniture importers

Turkey exported $2.8 billion in carpets in 2024 across 589.2 million square meters — making it the world's leading carpet exporter. Gaziantep alone accounts for over 70% of national production. The United States was the top destination at $784 million. In the first half of 2025, carpet exports reached $1.29 billion to 176 countries. Turkey also exported $4.5 billion in furniture in 2024.

The cost pressures are severe. The Turkish lira hit a record low of 44.35 per dollar on March 25 — a depreciation of approximately 17–21% over 12 months. The Central Bank of Turkey held its policy rate at 37% in March, halting a five-cut easing cycle specifically because of the Iran war. Goldman Sachs described suspended repo auctions as an effective 300-basis-point rate hike, pushing overnight interbank rates to 40%. Inflation stands at 31.5% officially; the independent ENAG group estimates 54%.

Turkey's strategic advantage: it faces lower U.S. tariffs than almost any major competitor — approximately 10% on carpets compared to 30%+ for China, 25–46% for Vietnam, and up to 26% for India. Combined with transatlantic shipping that avoids both chokepoints, Turkey holds a rare combination of lower duties and shorter, cheaper logistics for U.S.-bound goods. Maersk has announced a Peak Season Surcharge for Turkey-to-U.S. dry containers effective April 16, 2026 — signaling rising demand on this route. However, this logistics advantage is partially offset by Turkey's acute raw material exposure: with domestic PP production covering only 5–6% of national demand, and polyester yarns increasingly used alongside PP in Gaziantep's rug factories, Turkish manufacturers face a dual-material cost squeeze that their transatlantic shipping advantage cannot resolve.

Egypt: Oriental Weavers navigates an energy storm

Oriental Weavers customers · Machine-made rug buyers

Egypt's carpet industry is dominated by Oriental Weavers, the world's largest producer of machine-made rugs. The company reported FY2025 net sales of EGP 26.6 billion (approximately $507 million), up 9.6%. Net profit held steady at EGP 2.19 billion. Export revenue surged 44% in H1 2025 to EGP 4.2 billion, representing approximately 64–67% of total revenue.

However, Egypt faces an acute energy crisis. Domestic natural gas production has fallen 30% since 2021, turning Egypt from a net gas exporter to a net importer. On March 10, the government raised fuel prices — diesel rose from EGP 17.5 to EGP 20.5/liter, natural gas from EGP 10 to EGP 13/m³.

The Egyptian pound weakened to approximately 52.5/dollar, breaching the psychologically important 50 level for the first time. Suez Canal revenues have dropped roughly 52% from pre-crisis peak levels. HC Brokerage forecasts Oriental Weavers 2026 revenues of approximately EGP 26.9 billion, driven by 8% average selling price increases offsetting volume weakness.

United States: tariffs, recession fatigue, and a tighter consumer

Domestic manufacturers · Retailers planning price adjustments

Mohawk Industries reported FY2025 net sales of $10.8 billion — down 0.5%. Q1 2026 guidance calls for adjusted EPS of $1.75–1.85. The company is implementing price increases and planning $480 million in capital expenditure for 2026. Dalton, Georgia remains the carpet capital of the U.S. — 85% of all U.S.-manufactured carpet comes from Georgia.

On tariffs: the U.S. Supreme Court struck down IEEPA-based reciprocal tariffs on February 20. A replacement 10% global tariff under Section 122 took effect February 24. Section 232 tariffs of 25% on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets, and bathroom vanities remain in force. Furniture and bedding prices rose 4.7–9.5% year-over-year through mid-2025. Goldman Sachs found consumers absorb approximately 55% of tariff costs.

Vietnam: the furniture export champion faces tariff headwinds

Furniture importers · Cabinet and case goods buyers

Vietnam has become the number one furniture exporter to the United States, shipping $9.4 billion in 2024. The country houses 5,400 wood-processing enterprises employing over 500,000 workers. But combined tariff rates for Vietnamese cabinets approach 46 percent when all duties are stacked. The Vietnamese dong has been relatively stable, weakening only about 3% over 12 months. Vietnam's shipping advantage: transpacific routes do not transit either Hormuz or Suez.

China: the world's largest carpet producer leverages scale and self-sufficiency

Furniture and carpet importers navigating tariff stacks

China is the world's largest carpet and rug producer and second-largest exporter at approximately $2.5 billion annually. Major production hubs include Tianjin (machine-made and hand-tufted rugs), Shandong Province (Jining and Binzhou for machine-made carpets), Zhejiang (polyester and microfiber rugs), and Henan. China dominates the global market for polyester-based area rugs — the fastest-growing segment in the U.S. value market — and is a major supplier of hand-tufted wool rugs and machine-woven polypropylene products. China also retains its position as the second-largest furniture exporter to the U.S. at $5.94 billion in 2024.

The tariff picture is the most punishing of any major origin. Section 301 duties of 7.5–25% persist across product categories. Section 232 tariffs push combined rates beyond 70% for certain furniture lines. For rugs specifically, effective tariff rates range from 15–40% depending on fiber composition and construction method. These tariff walls have accelerated China's shift toward third-country manufacturing — routing production through Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia — and toward higher-value products where margins can absorb duties.

Despite tariff headwinds, Chinese manufacturers hold two structural advantages in the current crisis. First, transpacific shipping routes from Shanghai to the U.S. West Coast avoid both the Hormuz and Suez chokepoints entirely. Second, China's massive domestic polypropylene capacity (48 million MT in 2024, plus 7.7 million MT added in 2025) shields its carpet manufacturers from the raw material spikes hitting competitors in Turkey and India. In January 2026, China also reduced provisional tariffs on 935 imported products including cotton and wool, reinforcing its position as a low-cost textile processing hub.

India: the handmade rug heartland confronts an energy shock

Handmade rug buyers · Textile importers

India is the world's largest handmade carpet exporter, controlling approximately 40% of global trade. FY2025 carpet exports reached $1.54 billion. The U.S. absorbed $921 million — 59% of total Indian carpet exports. Broader textile exports reached approximately $34.4 billion in FY2025.

India's rug industry is organized around four distinct production clusters, each specializing in different product categories. Bhadohi-Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh) is the world's largest hand-knotted carpet cluster — known as the "Carpet City" — employing hundreds of thousands of weavers producing wool and wool-silk rugs for the U.S. and European markets. Jaipur (Rajasthan) leads in hand-tufted wool rugs, flat-weave dhurries, and printed rugs — the fastest-growing Indian rug export category. Kashmir produces ultra-premium hand-knotted silk carpets, while Panipat (Haryana) dominates machine-made and recycled-fiber rugs and mats. Over 2 million artisans work across these clusters. India is also the world's largest jute producer, making it a key supplier of natural carpet backing materials.

India faces severe exposure to the current crisis because it imports over 80% of its energy needs and 60% of its crude oil from the Middle East. The Indian rupee weakened to a record low of approximately 93.56/dollar — a decline of 11–12% over 12 months. PTA and MEG prices surged 29% in two weeks. The 38% year-over-year wool price increase compounds the squeeze for hand-knotted rug producers in Bhadohi and Kashmir, who are already navigating a shortage of skilled weavers as younger workers move to urban jobs.

Shipping from India's west coast ports (Mumbai, JNPT) through the Gulf is directly affected by the Hormuz closure. India-to-U.S. freight costs surged 50%, with air cargo rates up 300%. On tariffs, Indian goods face a 26% combined U.S. duty rate — significantly higher than Turkey's 10%, positioning Turkey as an increasingly attractive alternative for U.S. buyers of machine-made carpets. India's competitive edge remains in handmade products, where Turkish and Chinese producers cannot compete on craftsmanship or price.

Malaysia: stable timber costs but tariff uncertainty

Furniture importers · Rubberwood product buyers

Malaysia is a top-10 global furniture exporter with furniture exports to the U.S. exceeding $1 billion in 2024. Rubberwood — the backbone of Malaysian furniture manufacturing — has seen moderate price increases. The ringgit is relatively stable at approximately 3.94/dollar. The Strait of Malacca remains fully open, giving Malaysia a logistical advantage for transpacific trade. Malaysian furniture faces 25% Section 232 tariffs on upholstered furniture and cabinets in the U.S.

Bangladesh: jute supplier to the carpet world and textile giant

Garment and textile importers · EU-focused brands · Carpet backing buyers

Bangladesh is the world's second-largest garment exporter after China, with RMG exports of $39.35 billion in FY2024-25. The sector employs roughly 4 million workers. Over 200 factories are LEED-certified, including 9 of the world's top 10 green garment factories.

But for the carpet industry specifically, Bangladesh's most important role is as the world's dominant jute yarn exporter. Bangladesh controls 61% of global jute yarn exports, and Turkey alone purchased 137,186 MT in FY2022-23 — 35% of Bangladesh's total jute yarn exports — at an average price of $954/MT. This jute yarn is used primarily as secondary carpet backing in Gaziantep's machine-made carpet production. Other key buyers include China, India, Iran, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Bangladesh's jute supply chain is under pressure from multiple directions. Jute export restrictions imposed in September 2025 tightened supply. The FY25 jute crop came in at just 75.65 lakh bales — an 18% decline. And the Hormuz closure directly threatens Bangladesh's energy security: the country imports 72% of its LNG from Qatar and the UAE via the strait and has only approximately one month of fuel reserves. Bangladesh's shipping to Europe is also significantly affected by the Red Sea closure, adding approximately 10 days via the Cape. The country faces pending LDC graduation which will eliminate preferential EU duty-free access.

Europe: Belgium's carpet cluster and Italy's furniture powerhouse

European sourcing teams · EU compliance officers

Belgium's Kortrijk region remains one of the world's most important carpet manufacturing clusters. Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G.) generates approximately €1.8 billion in turnover with 4,700 employees across 29 mills. Flanders Flooring Days in May 2026 remains Europe's premier flooring trade event.

Italy's wood-furniture supply chain reached a production turnover of €52.2 billion in 2025. Exports held steady at €19.3 billion. The broader European furniture sector generated €175.8 billion in 2026. EU Ecodesign regulations phasing in from 2026 add compliance costs through new Digital Product Passport requirements.

Pakistan: textile producer and diplomatic intermediary

Textile importers · Those following diplomatic developments

Pakistan's textile exports reached $17.88 billion in FY2025, making it the world's fourth-largest textile exporter. Carpet-specific exports totaled $57 million in 2024, with 59% going to the U.S. Pakistan's hand-knotted rug industry — centered in Lahore and Karachi — produces Persian-style, Bokhara, and tribal designs for the U.S. and European markets. Pakistan is also the critical finishing and re-export hub for Afghan carpets: 97% of Afghan-made rugs are shipped to Pakistan for washing, finishing, and labeling before reaching international buyers. This makes Pakistan's carpet export figures significantly understate its true role in the global rug supply chain.

Pakistan faces a 29% U.S. tariff rate — higher than Turkey's 10% but lower than China or Vietnam. Energy costs are a structural challenge: Pakistan imports nearly all its oil and most of its natural gas, and the Hormuz closure has caused domestic fuel price increases of 8–12%. However, Pakistan has been granted limited passage through the Strait of Hormuz by Iran alongside Chinese and Indian vessels — a significant logistical advantage over Western-allied shipping.

On the diplomatic front, Pakistan is the primary intermediary in the conflict. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered the U.S. 15-point peace plan to Iran and offered Islamabad as a venue for talks. Pakistan's unique position — ties to Iran, a defense pact with Saudi Arabia, no U.S. bases on its soil — makes it one of the few actors trusted by both sides.

Iran: the collapse of a once-dominant handmade carpet industry

Handmade rug retailers · Persian carpet collectors · Sourcing strategists

Before sanctions, Iran was the world's largest handmade carpet exporter, with annual exports exceeding $2 billion in the 1990s. Iranian hand-knotted carpets — from Tabriz, Isfahan, Kashan, Nain, and Kerman — were considered the global gold standard. Today, under comprehensive U.S. and international sanctions tightened further by the current conflict, Iranian carpet exports have collapsed to an estimated $30–40 million — a decline of over 98%. The war has effectively eliminated any remaining channels for Iranian rug exports to Western markets.

This structural removal of Iranian supply from the global market has redistributed demand toward Indian, Pakistani, Afghan, and Turkish producers of traditional and Persian-style designs. For U.S. and European rug retailers who once carried Iranian product, sourcing has permanently shifted — and the current war makes any near-term reversal impossible.

Morocco, Tunisia, Afghanistan, and Nepal

Nearshoring-focused buyers · Hand-knotted rug importers

Morocco is the second-largest Mediterranean clothing supplier to the EU at €707 million annually. Its proximity to Europe gives it a shipping advantage in the current crisis. Smart factory innovation hubs in Fez are helping manufacturers adopt automation. Tunisia is the EU's third-largest Mediterranean textile supplier at €572 million (21.7% growth).

Afghanistan exported $15.2 million in carpets in 2024 (6,632 metric tons). The vast majority of output is sent to Pakistan for finishing before reaching international markets. The government aims to employ 1.5 million people in the sector, driven by rising Chinese demand. Nepal exports approximately $70–89 million in hand-woven carpets to 60+ countries, with Germany absorbing over 45%. The 38% wool price surge represents significant pressure for both countries' premium-positioned, handmade rug industries.

Currency movements: winners and losers

Finance and procurement teams managing FX exposure

The weakening of the lira and rupee makes Turkish carpets and Indian rugs cheaper in dollar terms for U.S. and European buyers — a competitive advantage, albeit one that comes at the cost of higher imported raw material expenses for those producers.

Diplomatic developments as of March 25

Strategic planning · Leadership teams

The diplomatic picture involves active but fragile indirect messaging rather than formal negotiations.

The United States transmitted a 15-point peace plan to Iran through Pakistani intermediaries on March 24. The plan reportedly calls for a 30-day ceasefire, dismantling of nuclear facilities, limits on missile programs, ending support for proxy groups, and full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange for removal of all sanctions.

Iran categorically rejected the plan, calling it "extremely maximalist and unreasonable." Iran issued its own 5-point counterproposal demanding a complete halt to aggression, war reparations, sovereignty guarantees over the Strait of Hormuz, and a comprehensive end to hostilities.

Pakistan has offered to host talks in Islamabad by March 27. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has been actively passing messages between Tehran and Washington. Egypt has said it is ready to host meetings. Al Jazeera's analysis identifies a wide gap between the two sides but notes that both have economic incentives to resolve the Hormuz crisis specifically — the waterway's closure costs Iran itself over $200 million per day in lost oil revenue from allied nations.

Despite this diplomatic activity, U.S. and Israeli officials do not see the war ending or even pausing in the next two to three weeks.

What the industry should watch next

All — scenario planning and outlook

Three structural shifts are already underway regardless of how the conflict resolves. First, Turkey's combined advantage of lower U.S. tariffs and unaffected shipping routes is accelerating its carpet market share gains. Second, the nearshoring trend is intensifying — Morocco and Tunisia are gaining European textile orders, and vertically integrated producers everywhere are being rewarded. Third, the era of permanent disruption appears to be the new normal rather than a temporary condition.

For suppliers sharing this article with their customers: the data shows this is neither the time for panic nor complacency. Costs are rising unevenly. Some routes and origins are far less affected than others. Commodity markets are sending mixed signals — polypropylene and polyester are up, nylon is down, cotton is a weather bet, wool is structurally expensive. The most resilient companies will be those that diversify sourcing across geographies, lock in shipping contracts where stability exists, and communicate transparently with their trading partners about what is changing, what is not, and what remains genuinely uncertain.