Starmer Affirms NATO's Role in US Interests After Gulf Visit

African coverage focuses on how a Hormuz crisis could hit oil-importing economies far from the Gulf. Trump is portrayed as willing to gamble with a key trade route, while European resistance is seen as an effort to protect global markets. Commentators expect that any serious disruption in Hormuz would raise fuel costs and strain budgets in African countries already under pressure.

• •African economies that import fuel from the Gulf would face higher costs if Hormuz traffic is disrupted.
• •Trump’s proposed blockade is viewed as a direct threat to stable global oil supplies.
• •European refusal to join the blockade is seen as an attempt to avoid a shock to world energy markets.
• •Some African analysts warn that rising shipping insurance and freight rates would quickly feed into local inflation.
• •Oil-importing governments in Africa are monitoring Gulf tensions because they could force cuts in public spending.