The head of the UN humanitarian office reminds that the war with Iran has already cost 25 billion dollars. According to him, the same amount would avert the hunger and death of millions of people.
The Pentagon’s spending on the Iran war so far could cover the entire UN humanitarian appeal for 2026 and provide life-saving aid to more than 87 million people. Director of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Tom Fletcher said this to AFP on Thursday. TASR informs about it.
- The Pentagon’s spending would cover the UN’s 2026 humanitarian appeal.
- The US Department of Defense spent $25 billion in the Middle East.
- The war has increased the prices of fuel and food, which worsens the situation.
- The number of people suffering from hunger is twice as high as in the past.
The US Department of Defense says it has spent $25 billion (21.3 billion euros) on the conflict in the Middle East so far. In this year’s appeal, OCHA asked for help in the amount of 23 billion dollars (19.6 billion euros).
“I know what we could do with 25 billion,” Fletcher said, adding that his office’s financial challenge represented “less than one percent of what the world spends on weapons and defense in the coming year.”
They warn about starvation
Fletcher went on to note that the war and subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz doubled fuel prices and increased food costs by 20 percent. “This makes our work much more difficult,” he noted, adding that more and more people are struggling with hunger, referring to Somalia in particular.
“We estimate that the number of people currently suffering from hunger is double what it was six months ago,” Fletcher pointed out.
The OCHA chief also stressed that more than 300 million people around the world are in urgent need of aid, but due to budget cuts, the agency has been forced to prioritize 87 million of them as the United States and other countries reduce their contributions. Without funding, “hundreds of millions of people will die within a few years,” Fletcher warned.
