UN warns Iran conflict could drive record global hunger

UN warns ongoing Iran conflict and rising oil prices could push 45 million more people into acute food insecurity.

Reuters

March 18, 2026

UN warns Iran conflict could drive record global hunger

Emergency personnel inspect damage in a building following an Iranian projectile strike, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ramat Gan, Israel, March 18, 2026.

Nir Elias/Reuters

The United Nations warned on Tuesday (March 17) that escalating conflict involving Iran could worsen global hunger.

Deputy U.N. Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters, citing World Food Programme estimates, that nearly 45 million more people could face acute food insecurity in 2026 if the Middle East conflict does not end by mid-year and oil prices remain above $100 a barrel.

That would add to the 318 million people already facing food insecurity worldwide, he said.

Haq said disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies, could have severe consequences for food security and that keeping the waterway open was critical to avoiding a drastic increase in world hunger.

He reiterated the U.N. position that there is no military solution to the conflict and called for an end to the fighting.

Production: Christine Kiernan/Reuters