What do markets think happens next in the US-Iran war?
Right now, they’re pricing a conflict that stays hot, keeps energy markets stressed, and leaves a meaningful tail risk of much higher oil
On Polymarket:
- Ceasefire by Mar 31: just 12%
- Ceasefire by Apr 15: 31%
- Ceasefire by Apr 30: 44%
- US forces entering Iran by Mar 31: 22%
- US forces entering Iran by Apr 30: 57%
- US forces entering Iran by Dec 31: 67%
And on crude:
- Oil >$100 by end of March: 40%
- >$110: 16%
- >$120: 8%
- By end of June, markets are much more aggressive:
- Oil >$100: 75%
- >$110: 68%
- >$120: 45%
- >$130: 41%
- >$150: 24%
- >$200: 14%
That curve tells you the market is not pricing a quick normalization. It’s pricing duration
The key variable is Hormuz
Roughly 20% of global oil and LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported that tanker traffic through the strait had collapsed by about 95% from pre-war levels at one point
Even partial disruption matters because commodities are priced at the margin, not the average
That means the first-order effect is obvious:
- Higher crude
- Higher diesel, jet fuel, gasoline, LPG, naphtha
But the second-order effects are where this gets bigger:
- Higher fertilizer prices via ammonia/urea feedstock stress
- Higher plastics / petrochemical input costs
- Higher freight and shipping costs
- Higher power prices in LNG-dependent economies
- More imported inflation across Asia and other energy-importing regions
This is why the market reaction has been so violent. Brent had already hit $119.5 earlier this month, then fell more than 13% yesterday after Trump delayed strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, only to rebound today after Iran denied any talks with the US.
In other words: headlines can move oil $10-15 in either direction, but the structural risk premium is still there
If this de-escalates quickly, oil probably retraces
If Hormuz stays impaired, prediction markets still look too complacent on the right tail of energy and inflation
The market is telling you this is no longer just a geopolitical story
It is now an oil, LNG, fertilizer, plastics, freight, inflation, and growth story
(Links to markets in comments)