Iran war threatening record levels of global hunger, UN warns
Record numbers of people are at risk of hunger due to the Iran war and other global disasters, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
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363 million people across the globe are now at risk of acute hunger, the WFP said, with 45 million directly vulnerable due to the US and Israel’s conflict in the Middle East and the resulting hike in oil prices.
The Strait of Hormuz has been under a blockade since the start of the war, sending prices soaring as 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports pass through the vital waterway.
The closure has also driven up food prices due to transport costs.
The WFP warned earlier in the conflict that if oil prices remained above $100, 45 million more people would face acute food shortages.
The price of Brent crude dipped under that benchmark earlier this month and while rising back up they remain 30% higher than the average cost before the war broke out.
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Carl Skau, the WFP’s acting executive director, told the Guardian: “The price of food and energy is so closely correlated that in some places if the price of energy goes up 30%, food inflation almost meets that.
“In a least developed country, amongst the most vulnerable, they’re already spending all their money on food, and so that means they eat 30% or 40% less.”
It comes after funding to tackle global famine was slashed by a third last year, amid almost a 40% drop year on year, Mr Skau said.
This has forced the WPF to cut programmes supporting people in food emergencies, he added, instead focusing on populations already facing catastrophic famine.
“We take from the hungry to give to the starving. That’s the reality,” he said.
Mr Skau added: “Much of this is driven by conflict. Last year, we had two famines declared. That hasn’t happened in decades, so these are historic levels of hunger.”
Famines were declared in Gaza and Sudan last year, with the situation improving slightly in Gaza following a ceasefire but remaining catastrophic in Sudan.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement came into effect on 10 October 2025, allowing more aid into Gaza as the crisis eased. However, the months without aid have left much of the population facing malnutrition, which reached catastrophic levels last summer.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said last month that the conflict in Sudan, which had passed its 1,000th day, was “a war waged on the bodies of women and girls”, and was defined by famine, rape and suffering that “should mobilise the world’s resources and resolve”.
She said it is "already the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century,” with a risk of famine hitting millions of people and extremists being able to exploit the instability.
Ms Cooper urged for the same “focus and momentum” on working towards a ceasefire in Sudan as there was on Gaza last year, and concluded: “Let 2026 be the year the world listens to the women of Sudan, not the military men who are perpetuating this conflict, and let 2026 be the year the world comes together to drive urgent new momentum for peace.”
The Government also announced an additional £21 million to provide food, shelter, health services, and protection for women and children in some of the hardest-to-reach areas in Sudan.