Tens of millions more people could face acute hunger if the Iran war continues through to June, according to a new analysis from the World Food Programme (WFP) released on Tuesday, which flagged the gravity of the situation by suggesting this could push global hunger levels to an "all-time" high.
The U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran 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 Feb. 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.
According to the WFP, countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia face the highest risk due to reliance on imports, with projected increases in hunger across both regions.
"If this conflict continues, it will send shockwaves across the globe," Skau said, warning that vulnerable families "will be hit the hardest."
