Iran war may push 45 million people into acute hunger by June — report

The Iran war is threatening to push an additional 45 million people into acute hunger by June, as rising food, oil, and shipping costs strain global aid efforts, the World Food Programme warns.

Emma Farge/Reuters

17 March 2026 at 11:42:49

Iran war may push 45 million people into acute hunger by June — report

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, following escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Marjayoun, Lebanon, March 17, 2026

Karamallah Daher/Reuters

Tens of millions more people will face acute hunger if the Iran war continues through to June, according to analysis from the World Food Programme released on Tuesday.

The U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that began on February 26 have choked up key humanitarian aid routes, delaying life-saving shipments to some of the world's worst crises.

An extra 45 million are projected to be pushed into acute hunger because of rises in food, oil and shipping costs, pushing the global tally above its current record level of 319 million, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme Carl Skau told reporters in Geneva.

"This would take global hunger levels to an all-time record and it's a terrible, terrible prospect," he said. "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," he added.

Skau said its shipping costs are up 18% since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28 and that some have had to be rerouted. The extra costs come on top of deep spending cuts by the WFP, as donors focus more on defense, he added.

-Reporting by Emma Farge;Editing by Madeline Chambers/Reuters