ISTANBUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Global supply chain disruptions and rising energy costs, driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, are fueling persistent inflation across emerging economies, Istanbul-based analyst Murat Tufan has said.

The fallout of the conflict between Iran and the United States, which will mark its 100th day on Sunday, "extends beyond the energy sector, triggering a sharp surge in general commodity prices," Tufan told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"Fertilizer and shipping costs are climbing due to vessel delays in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for global trade, inevitably driving up the final price of everyday goods," he said.

"Expectation inflation" is a primary driver of the ongoing economic struggles in developing countries, which are highly vulnerable to imported inflation and global price shocks, Tufan said.

Consumers, he explained, now operate under the assumption that goods will inevitably cost more tomorrow, a mindset that undermines broader efforts to combat inflation.

Driven by this fear, their daily habits have radically shifted, Tufan said. "People are increasingly relying on credit to stockpile basic kitchen staples, rushing to secure essential household goods before the next price hike hits."

This panic-driven environment, in turn, allows businesses to raise prices arbitrarily, he noted.

The "new, far more dangerous inflationary wave" also caught global central banks off guard, he said.

Traditional monetary tools, such as interest rate hikes, are largely powerless against this type of supply-driven inflation, given that the central banks cannot dictate global energy or commodity prices, he added. ■