The war with Iran could push an additional 45 million people into acute hunger by June, the World Food Programme warned Tuesday — a devastating escalation of a global food crisis already at record levels.
“This would take global hunger levels to an all-time record, and it’s a terrible, terrible prospect,” said Carl Skau, the WFP’s deputy executive director, speaking to reporters in Geneva.
The U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that began on February 28 have choked key humanitarian aid routes, delaying life-saving shipments to some of the world’s worst crises. Rising food, oil, and shipping costs are driving the projected surge, pushing the global tally above its current record of 319 million acutely food-insecure people.
“Already, before this war, we were in a perfect storm where hunger has never been as severe as now, in terms of numbers and how deep that hunger is,” Skau added.
The Cost of Conflict
The WFP’s shipping costs have risen 18% since the war began. Some shipments have had to be rerouted, adding time and expense to already stretched operations.
The extra costs come on top of deep spending cuts the WFP has already implemented, as donor nations shift their budgets toward defense and away from humanitarian aid.
The result is a perfect storm within a perfect storm: more people in need, less money to help them, and a war driving up the cost of delivering what little aid remains.
Where the Hunger Will Hit
The WFP did not specify which regions would be most affected, but the ripple effects of the war are global. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil prices soaring, driving up transportation costs for food everywhere. Fertilizer prices are climbing, threatening next season’s harvests. Poor nations that rely on imports are being squeezed hardest.
The 45 million figure represents people pushed into “acute hunger” — the most severe category of food insecurity, just steps away from famine.
Before the war, the world was already facing its worst hunger crisis in modern history. Now it’s getting worse.
The Warning
Skau’s statement was as much a plea as a projection. The WFP needs funding — and it needs the war to end.
“This is a terrible, terrible prospect,” he said.
For the 319 million already facing acute hunger, the war is an abstract concept playing out thousands of miles away. But its consequences are about to become very real.
Forty-five million more people will know what hunger feels like by June. Unless something changes, the record will keep climbing.
