War in Iran could lead to mass starvation among vulnerable populations - UN
Kyiv • UNN
The war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have caused food prices to rise. The UN warns of the risk of mass starvation due to a funding deficit.
The consequences of the war in Iran threaten millions of the most vulnerable people with crisis levels of hunger or even worse outcomes, stated Carl Skau, Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), in an interview with CNN, reports UNN.
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The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sharply increased fuel costs, making the organization's operations significantly more expensive. Rising fuel prices have also pushed up food costs worldwide. Furthermore, the supply of critical fertilizers from the Persian Gulf region for the planting season in countries like Sudan has been hampered by the blockage of a key maritime route.
This is a devastating combination of factors for an organization that is already forced to make difficult decisions due to a substantial reduction in funding.
"In many places, we are already taking from the hungry to feed the starving,"
The WFP depends on government donations and has experienced a significant drop in funding across the board, including from its largest donor, the United States. As of Monday, the US contribution for 2026 stood at about $731 million, whereas in 2024 it exceeded $4 billion.
Skau explained that in the world's poorest countries, "when the price of food goes up by 20–30%, people simply eat 20–30% less."
In March, the humanitarian organization warned that an additional 45 million people could face acute hunger by July if oil prices remained above $100 per barrel. Now, according to Skau, the consequences are already beginning to manifest on the ground—in Sri Lanka, Somalia, and Afghanistan.
Even if the Strait of Hormuz were to open tomorrow, the impact of the crisis will be felt for a long time, he noted.
"Recovery will take time," he said in an interview with CNN in Washington.
"We hope that this conflict ends and the strait opens tomorrow. But clearly, wealthy nations must step up to mitigate the blow to the most vulnerable," he added.
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The funding cuts have affected the organization's ability to help those most in need. Unlike previous crises, such as the war in Ukraine or the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been no surge in contributions.
"Last year, funding fell by 40% year-on-year," said Skau, a former Swedish diplomat who became the organization's acting head following the resignation of Cindy McCain. Since May 2023, he had served as the WFP's Chief Operating Officer.
Even before the start of the war in Iran, the organization was facing growing needs worldwide. In Sudan, 20 million people lack sufficient access to food; hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes in Lebanon; in Ukraine, over 80 incidents affecting WFP distribution points, warehouses, transport, or partner property have been recorded over the past two years. In late May, a missile hit a WFP warehouse in Dnipro.
Rising costs and funding cuts have only exacerbated these problems. Skau spoke about a region in South Sudan where there is a threat of famine, but aid can only be delivered by air, which is very expensive.
"If we continue this air bridge, it burns through enormous resources, to the point where we cannot help other regions with extreme food crises. We have not faced such choices before,"
During a recent visit to Afghanistan, his colleagues on the ground were trying to determine the criteria for who exactly could be provided with aid.
"We don't have the resources to help all female-headed households with children in this province. So what do we do? Set a threshold—for example, only families with more than five children? This means those with four children do not receive aid. These are the decisions we are forced to make because of funding cuts,"
The US remains the WFP's largest donor, but under the Donald Trump administration, funding for humanitarian aid, including the WFP, has decreased.
Skau stated that the organization is grateful for the US contribution, but at the same time "always seeks greater engagement."