Strait of Hormuz closure deflates global helium supply

NPR | By Lilly Quiroz,

Diantha Parker

Published April 3, 2026 at 3:43 AM CDT

The blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is affecting not only oil, but the global helium supply.

Tags

Morning Edition

Lilly Quiroz

Lilly Quiroz (she/her/ella) is a production assistant for Morning Edition and Up First. She pitches and produces interviews for Morning Edition, and occasionally goes to the dark side to produce the podcast Up First on the overnights.

See stories by Lilly Quiroz

Diantha Parker

Trump removes Pam Bondi as attorney general

Carrie Johnson, Steve Inskeep

President Trump announced Thursday that Pam Bondi will no longer serve as attorney general. Her departure comes amid frustration over her leadership and handling of the Epstein files.
NPR News

Verdicts against Meta and Google may bring a new era of big tech accountability

Shannon Bond

Advocates hope recent verdicts against social media platforms will build momentum for bigger changes in Silicon Valley.
NPR News

NASA's Artemis II has left Earth's orbit, and 4 astronauts now head to the moon

Nell Greenfieldboyce

With the last major firing of its engine, the Artemis II spacecraft is now on a path that will take it around the moon and back.
Morning news brief

Steve Inskeep, A Martínez

Attorney General Pam Bondi out at the Department of Justice, Iran introduces new toll system for passage through Strait of Hormuz, over 40 countries meet to discuss reopening Strait of Hormuz.
'I dreamed it...I expected it.': Arsenio Hall talks about his career and new memoir

Michel Martin

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with America's beloved late-night TV host Arsenio Hall who writes of the ups and downs of his remarkable career in his new memoir, "Arsenio."