The Iranians could harass or halt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz . Tensions in the Middle East are always high. If Iran were to act aggressively to a perceived threat from another country, the major shipping lanes for oil from that region would be disrupted. This would send shockwaves across the market. Prices would surge to never- before-seen levels as countries around the world competed for the reduced supply of oil. In September 2015, Saudi Arabian security forces killed a gunman who was allegedly trying to attack the Abqaiq processing plant of Saudi Aramco – the national oil company. Al-Qaeda also targeted the plant with an attempted attack in February 2006. The Abqaiq plant is the largest oil-processing facility in the world. Saudi Aramco processes 5.4 million barrels of oil per day. That’s more than two-thirds of the country’s daily output. A disruption of the supply running through the Abqaiq facility would put a major dent in the world’s supply. And that also would cause oil prices around the globe to soar. Terrorists could strike the oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia .
North Korea could attack South Korea .
When U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited the demilitarized zone (“DMZ”) between North Korea and South Korea in March 2017, Business Insider noted that it “may be the tensest place on the planet.” Near the buffer zone, the two countries have lined the border with fences, mines, and troops around the clock.
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