The Chokepoint We Missed: Sulfur, Hormuz, and the Threats to Military Readiness

>While the United States produces significant sulfur domestically, the near-total disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for approximately 50 percent of global seaborne sulfur trade flows, has compounded an already tight market. US sulfur prices have increased 165 percent year-over-year to over $650 per metric ton; and now the price has surged by 25 percent just since the Iran war began.

>...

>Semiconductors push this reality even further. Ultra-high-purity sulfuric acid is indispensable for cleaning and etching the silicon wafers needed to make the most advanced microchips, directly impacting everything from F-35 avionics to the guidance system in any interceptor or missile.