Iran War Drives Up Shipping Costs Ahead of Amazon (AMZN) Prime Day

Amazon (AMZN) faces elevated logistics costs for its Prime Day sales event on June 23-26, 2026, as the war in Iran disrupts global shipping and drives up fuel prices. The e-commerce giant moved the event earlier than usual, but cannot escape the financial fallout from the Strait of Hormuz crisis. Freight rates have surged: the Drewry World Container Index is up 48% since the conflict began, and the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index has jumped over 90%. Maersk (AMKBY), a key Amazon shipping partner, reports the war costs it roughly $500 million monthly, forcing it to raise container booking rates by about 40% since February. Hapag-Lloyd expects $60-70 million weekly in added expenses. Amazon has imposed a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on third-party sellers since April, still in effect. Analysts warn that consumers will likely see higher prices during the discount event. Global supply chains are again strained, echoing pandemic-era disruptions.