California walnut farmer's crops stranded at sea as Iran war disrupts shipping routes

The war in Iran isn't just impacting oil prices. It's also hitting California farmers.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down, growers are unable to ship products to one of the Middle East's biggest trading hubs: Dubai.

"It's just the uncertainty. We don't know what to do," said Bill Carriere of Carriere Family Farms in Glenn, California.

Carriere said the Middle East accounts for more than 20% of his business, with shipments moving through the Strait of Hormuz to Dubai. Carriere noted that his own farm ships to more than 30 countries.

But with fears of Iranian missile strikes, it's not just oil tankers being disrupted but agricultural shipments too.

With shipments to Dubai taking 30 days, some of Carriere's walnuts are now stuck at sea, unable to reach port.

"We have loads ready to go, and our buyers are telling us don't ship because we don't know how long this will last," Carriere said.

With walnuts only lasting so long in storage, there's growing concern at Carriere Farms that this year's crop could spoil, creating a backlog ahead of next harvest.

"I'm optimistic, but this is an unusual situation," Carriere said. "We've never seen this before. It's the unknown."

At the same time, rising oil prices are driving up shipping and transportation costs, adding even more pressure on farmers.

Meanwhile, the California Farm Bureau says it's closely monitoring the situation.

"California farmers and ranchers have faced elevated input costs for several years and increased prices for fuel and fertilizers, combined with market disruptions, come at a time when the U.S. farm economy is facing significant financial headwinds," the bureau said in a statement to CBS News Sacramento.