UN warns millions could face hunger as Iran conflict blocks food aid

Tens of thousands of tonnes of food aid destined for the world’s poorest countries have been stranded due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warning that millions more people could be pushed into acute hunger if the disruption continues, Financial Times reports.

According to Corinne Fleischer, WFP director of supply chain, about 70,000 tonnes of food are affected on the high seas as congestion and rerouting ripple through global shipping lanes. “The UN body is also being forced to reroute some aid cargoes over land,” she said.

Key shipping routes have been severely disrupted, with some ports inaccessible. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following Iranian strikes, along with fears of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, has prompted insurers to raise war-risk premiums and shipping lines to suspend bookings or reroute vessels.

The stranded shipments include roughly 30,000 tonnes of containerised food, including canned goods, split peas, and specialised nutritious products. Some vessels are being rerouted around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Red Sea to ports such as Berbera and Mombasa, including shipments for Sudan. Around 21,000 tonnes of wheat intended for southern Yemen remain blocked in Oman, while other cargoes for the Democratic Republic of Congo face delays in Tanzanian ports due to congestion.

With Iranian ports effectively cut off, WFP has begun transporting food overland into Afghanistan from its humanitarian depot in Dubai, through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan into northern Afghanistan. “This adds several weeks to the journey and sharply higher fuel and logistics costs,” Fleischer noted. Nearly 17.5 million people in Afghanistan—a third of the population—are facing acute food insecurity.

Dubai, a major UN humanitarian hub in the Middle East, remains operational despite the conflict. “Essential staff are maintaining warehouse and dispatch activities on site, while other functions are sustained remotely,” WFP said. “While the Strait of Hormuz is not currently a viable transit option, our team is actively implementing alternative routing solutions.”

Fleischer warned that rising freight, insurance, and fuel costs are driving up the price of delivering food to vulnerable populations. WFP estimates that an additional 45 million people could be pushed into acute hunger on top of the 318 million already facing severe food insecurity worldwide if disruptions continue through June.

“One thing is the increased number of people going hungry due to the cost of living crisis,” Fleischer said. “But then also, of course, our own operations are going to cost much more, and we don’t have the money for that.”

By Vafa Guliyeva