The conflict that began in Iran on February 28, 2026 has spread across the region, curtailing production and delaying or rerouting shipments of polypropylene through the Strait of Hormuz. Middle East exports of polypropylene in 2025 (7.0 million tons) were 42% of total global exports of 16.7 million tons.

The Middle East is the world’s largest exporter of polypropylene, shipping polymer to every world region except North America. As such, a protracted disruption in supply will have a major impact on global trade flows.

The next largest exporting regions are Asia-Pacific, 3.6 million tons; Western Europe, 2.7 million tons; and North America, 1.8 million tons.

Iran does not export significant quantities of polypropylene; Saudi Arabia accounts for most of the Middle East export total, followed by UAE, Israel, Kuwait, and Oman.

Asia-Pacific was the Middle East’s top export destination, followed by Africa, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Latin America.

Middle East exports by region in 2025 were:

From International Trader Publications’ World Trade Analyses on all grades of polypropylene, continuously updated based on statistics from all reporting countries.