No one can foresee fallout: Putin warns Gulf war could rival COVID chaos

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned that the global consequences of the Gulf conflict may be impossible to predict, even for those driving it, drawing a stark comparison with the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at a congress of Russia’s leading industrialists, Putin said the escalation triggered by joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran has already begun to destabilise global systems, according to a report by Press Trust of India.

“It’s still hard to predict the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East with any confidence,” Putin said. “It seems to me that even those involved in the conflict are themselves unable to foresee them.”

The Russian leader said the war is already rippling through key sectors worldwide. “The armed conflict in the Middle East is increasingly impacting the current situation and causing significant disruption to international logistics, manufacturing, and supply chains,” he said.

Putin warned that industries linked to hydrocarbons, metals and fertilisers have taken a direct hit, with broader economic consequences likely to follow. He drew a stark parallel with the COVID pandemic, reminding delegates how it sharply slowed down the development of all regions and continents without exception.

The conflict, which began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, has since spread across the Gulf region, affecting one of the world’s most critical energy routes.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but vital shipping lane connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, is now effectively shut, halting the movement of hundreds of vessels daily, including oil tankers and cargo ships. The disruption has intensified fears of a prolonged global economic shock, particularly for energy-dependent economies.

Putin stressed that the scale of uncertainty remains unprecedented. “No one, including the perpetrators of this conflict, can foresee its grave consequences for the world,” he said, reinforcing comparisons to the pandemic-era slowdown.

He added that Russia must prepare to operate in this new reality, calling for national resilience and unity.

In a related development, Russia’s state broadcaster suggested the conflict could be part of a much larger global confrontation. “We are in the middle of the third world war, and we will learn this only after it ends,” a Channel One TV anchor said during a prime-time show, drawing parallels with past conflicts that were only fully understood in hindsight.

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