📡 2026.5.13Middle East Weekly Report – FREE SAMPLE

Report Period: May 6 – May 13, 2026
Analyst: Amy SteelInsights (amyinsights.com)

*This is a limited preview. The full report includes complete price tables for China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Egypt, full import viability assessments with war risk and inland trucking costs, a week-on-week deep dive comparing this period to April 29–May 6, and specific quantified action items for procurement and sales teams.*

📌 Core Insights Preview (Excerpt from Full Report)

• Jebel Ali Import Dwell Time Hits 64.6 Days – Paralyzed With No Clearing Mechanism – The Middle East’s largest steel import gateway, handling over 5 million tonnes annually, has seen import container dwell time surge 297% over nine consecutive weeks. Major carriers remain halted on Hormuz transit, and there is no indication of near-term resolution. (Sources: project44/GlobeNewsWire)
• Iran’s Mobarakeh Steel Confirmed in Near-Total Shutdown – The producer accounting for approximately half of Iran’s flat steel capacity is now confirmed offline, removing a critical source of HRC and coated sheet supply from regional markets for the foreseeable future. (Sources: SteelOrbis, Mysteel)
• Baltic Dry Index Surges to 2.5-Year High – Freight Costs Exploding – The BDI reached over 3,000 points, driven by Capesize iron ore and coal demand, adding significant cost pressure to every seaborne steel shipment. Combined with war risk premiums of 3–8% of hull value, the total logistics premium is intensifying. (Sources: Baltic Exchange, Hellenic Shipping News)
• China Billet Export Offers Climb on Iron Ore Rally and Firm Demand – Chinese billet FOB rose steadily through the week, supported by iron ore at the highest levels in months, a strengthening yuan, and Baosteel’s June base price hike boosting speculative sentiment. (Sources: BigMint, SMM)
• Turkish Scrap Defies Peak Narrative – Rebar Prices Reverse Course – After softening last week, Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices resumed their rise, forcing rebar FOB to recover and squeezing mill margins to unsustainable levels that favor further price increases. (Sources: Kallanish, SteelHome)

💰 Price Snapshot (Selected Benchmarks)

Full report includes: Complete FOB China table across eight product categories, Saudi two-tier market analysis (Hadeed vs. competing mills), UAE rebar bifurcation (benchmark vs. re-rollers), Turkey scrap-to-rebar margin compression analysis, Egypt safeguard duty-adjusted landed costs, and detailed week-on-week changes versus the prior period.

🚢 Port & Logistics Status Summary

💡 Actionable Advice Preview

For Procurement Managers (Buyers)

• ⏳ Do NOT place new orders to Jebel Ali or Dammam. Jebel Ali import dwell time has reached 64.6 days with no clearing mechanism. All major carriers remain halted on Hormuz transit. The logistics crisis is intensifying, not resolving. Defer all east coast orders indefinitely.
• ✅ Lock Q3 billet volumes at current FOB levels before cost-push pressures push prices toward $490–500/t. Chinese billet offers are rising steadily, supported by iron ore at the highest levels in months and a strengthening yuan that incentivizes higher dollar FOB quotes. With Iran’s billet export ban likely to extend beyond May 30, the regional supply gap will persist.

For Export Sales Managers (Sellers)

• ✅ Target former Iranian flat steel customers — Mobarakeh’s near-total shutdown confirms the supply vacuum is structural. Iran’s largest flat steel producer is offline, meaning HRC and coated sheet supply is effectively zero from that origin for the foreseeable future. Buyers in Iraq, Gulf re-rolling markets, and Saudi flat product importers need reliable alternatives with transparent CFR pricing.
• ✅ Justify CFR price increases with documented cost-pass-through logic. Iron ore, scrap, and the BDI are all rising simultaneously. Use transparent cost breakdowns — FOB, freight, war risk surcharge — to make your pricing defensible. Buyers are more receptive to increases when they see the underlying cost data.

📈 What You Get in the Full Report

The complete 20+ page weekly report equips you for six-figure procurement and sales decisions with:

• Comprehensive Price Tables: 40+ price points across 8 product categories and 6 regional markets, all with source citations.
• Week-on-Week Deep Dive: A dedicated section comparing this week’s data against April 29–May 6 across seven dimensions — prices, policy, currencies, logistics, sentiment, new data, and overall assessment — with a forward price forecast and three supporting arguments.
• Iran Supply Gap Analysis: Detailed assessment of the Mobarakeh near-total shutdown and the May 30 binary risk for Iran’s export suspension, with specific guidance on which products and markets face the most urgent supply shortages.
• Jebel Ali Paralysis Quantification: The 64.6-day dwell time data, carrier status, and the implications for UAE steel import operations, so you can make routing decisions with full visibility.
• Dual-Perspective Action Items: Separate, prioritized advice for procurement teams and export sales teams with specific price triggers, routing recommendations, and compliance guidance (SASO 2938, SABER digital trust score).

Disclaimer: This free sample contains excerpts from the May 13, 2026, Middle East Steel Weekly Report compiled by Amy SteelInsights. Data is sourced from BigMint, Mysteel, SMM, Kallanish, MEsteel, SteelHome, Baltic Exchange, Shanghai Shipping Exchange, LME, project44/GlobeNewsWire, IBTimes, and official government announcements. Geopolitical conditions, freight rates, war risk premiums, and port accessibility are subject to rapid change. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute trading or investment advice.

📥 Download Full Report (Link to full report purchase page)
👉 Subscribe Monthly — Never miss a market shift
👉 Subscribe Annually — Best value for procurement and sales teams
📧 Questions? Custom reports? Contact amy@amyinsights.com