Alumina Prices Kept Falling, with No Turnaround in Sight

In the face of the impact brought by the Middle East war, home appliance enterprises took proactive measures to respond. Since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, logistics and transportation of home appliance exports to the Middle East region encountered short-term disruptions. In response, some enterprises chose to strengthen their local supply strategies. Meanwhile, affected by the sharp rise in raw material costs, some home appliance enterprises raised the prices of their export products by approximately 10% to alleviate cost pressure.

A spokesperson for Iran's military stated that, given the US's "repeated failure to honor its commitments," control of the Strait of Hormuz had been restored to its previous status and was now under the strict control of Iran's armed forces. According to shipping sources, multiple commercial vessels received radio notifications from the Iranian navy informing them that the Strait of Hormuz was once again closed and that passage by any vessel was prohibited. Ship tracking data showed that approximately 10 vessels attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz on April 18 but ultimately turned back.

The Secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council issued a statement saying that US military bases in the Gulf region, whose primary supplies are maintained through shipping via the Strait of Hormuz, pose a threat to both Iran's national security and regional security. In light of this, Iran will continue to supervise and control the passage through the Strait of Hormuz until hostilities are completely ended and a lasting peace is achieved.