Iran war could plunge 45 million into acute hunger, says UN agency

Iran war could plunge 45 million into acute hunger, says UN agency Submitted by Peter McNamara on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 11:48 Spiralling costs and choked aid routes are likely to affect the most vulnerable as the war's end edges no closer Afghan men queue to receive packages of fortified biscuits distributed by the United Nations World Food Programme in the Laja Mangal district of Paktia province on 16 March 2026 (AFP) Off The number of people who experience acute hunger could leap to 364 million globally if the war on Iran continues until June, the World Food Programme said on Tuesday. "This would take global hunger levels to an all-time record and it's a terrible, terrible prospect," the WFP’s deputy executive director Carl Skau said in Geneva. Analysis by the UN agency has shown that since US and Israeli attacks on Iran began at the end of February, valuable aid routes to countries already suffering from chronic food insecurity have been blocked and shipments have been delayed.