The Business Times
business-time-50

The Iran war is coming for your Diet Coke

The disruption in aluminium exports is hitting beverage manufacturing and power grid build-outs

Summarise
阅读简体中文版 (beta)
    • The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted exports of aluminium from smelters in the Persian Gulf, and that has hit beverage manufacturers in India.
    • The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted exports of aluminium from smelters in the Persian Gulf, and that has hit beverage manufacturers in India. PHOTO: REUTERS

    David Fickling

    Published Tue, May 26, 2026 · 06:30 AM

    GEOPOLITICS is currently making it harder for India’s 1.4 billion people to cool off in the punishing summer heat. Things are about to get a whole lot worse.

    The problem right now is with Diet Coke. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted exports of aluminium from smelters in the Persian Gulf, which account for about a fifth of supplies outside China.

    That has hit beverage manufacturers in India, where the soda is available only in metal cans, in turn sparking a burst of end-times hedonism.

    AluminiumIran warElectricityEnergy transitionMetalsBeverages

    TRENDING NOW

    From left: Pham Nhat Quan Anh, Pham Nhat Vuong, Pham Thu Huong and Pham Nhat Minh Hoang. The couple (centre) remain senior figures in Vingroup, with their children’s presence in the ecosystem growing.

    He built the Vingroup empire. Now South-east Asia’s richest man is handing some key roles to his sons

    As at Aug 31, around 180 million shares have been sold in total, Singtel and the CPF Board said on Sep 17.

    Quarter of Singtel special discounted shares sold ahead of CPF Board transfer

    Agmo CEO Tan Aik Keong’s unconventional rule is to “say yes first, then figure out how”.

    Why Tan Aik Keong of digital solutions specialist Agmo wants to make himself less indispensable

    The Golden Violet oil tanker docked at a PT Pertamina facility in Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Asia’s new energy security architecture should have a support mechanism to help Asian countries build emergency oil reserves through financing and technical assistance.

    Asia needs new energy security architecture

    Latest T-bills Treasury Bills Results & Interest NewsLatest SSB Singapore Savings Bonds NewsLatest COE Certificate of Entitlement News
    Latest Johor-Singapore SEZ NewsLatest BTO Build To Order & Sales of Balance NewsLatest STI Straits Times Index NewsLatest SGX Dividends, Share Price NewsLatest Bonds Market NewsLatest Singapore Stocks To Buy NewsLatest Singapore Economy News
    View More