Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks as he displays a map showing the United States Navy's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz during a press briefing at the Pentagon on April 16, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

The aorta of the global energy economy has been clogged for more than a month now.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway connecting the Gulf oil producers to global markets — has throttled worldwide energy production and driven up the prices of gasoline , diesel , fertilizer, plastics, and myriad other commodities.

This has led many Americans to fear that their rising energy bills are just the beginning — and that America’s ongoing conflict with Iran could push up grocery prices too.

And yet, that foot still hasn’t dropped.…