March Summary: an increasingly turbulent world

"I’ve restored American strength, settled eight wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran nuclear threat and ended the war in Gaza, bringing for the first time in 3,000 years peace to the Middle East."  

Modest words from US President Donald Trump in a prime-time "Address to the Nation" from the White House on 17 December last year.

Less than 3 months later, the Middle East has seen a major escalation into a regional war after the USA and Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran, including attacks in Tehran that killed Iran’s supreme leader and other senior officials. Having previously claimed Iran's nuclear programme was "obliterated" by US strikes on its enrichment facilities last year, Trump said Iran could have built a nuclear weapon "within two weeks" without the latest attacks.

Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel, U.S. forces, nine Middle East countries, as well as Cyprus and Azerbaijan, while Iranian allied groups began attacking Israel from Lebanon and Yemen, widening the conflict. The fighting has caused thousands of casualties, severe air-travel disruption, and economic shock-waves as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and regional airspace was disrupted. 

As 20% of the word's oil comes through the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices peaked, but besides oil, the Strait carries several commodities important to industrial supply chains, including mining. Major oil and gas producers in the Gulf export large quantities of sulphur, a by-product of refining. Sulphur is critical for producing sulphuric acid, which is widely used in copper leaching, nickel and uranium processing and phosphate fertilizer production. The Gulf also exports petrochemicals, used to make reagents for flotation and other processes.

In this increasingly turbulent world it is impossible to predict which safe haven will one day become a war zone. Cape Town is thankfully well out of the current firing line so hopefully will continue to be a safe venue for future MEI Conferences and this year's IMPC, but we are also looking at other countries, and in the middle of the month Amanda and son Will spent a few days assessing potential conference venues in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Amanda flew from Kuala Lumpur to Adelaide to represent MEI as a media partner at MetPlant '26, while Will and his girlfriend proceeded with their "Grand Tour" and are now in Bali, Indonesia.

Amanda with MetPlant convenor Janine Herzig and delegate Nobuzwe Makhotla

Amanda returned to London via Hong Kong, her original scheduled flight changing in Dubai, but she is now back in Cornwall, preparing to leave again in two weeks time, for Cape Town and Physical Separation '26 and Mineral Processing Circuits '26.

Whether the Middle East war will be resolved in April is anyone’s guess. Even President Trump appears unclear, claiming at various points that he has won the war, is currently winning it, needs help to win it, and needs no help at all. It brings to mind Schrödinger’s cat!

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