GENEVA, March 17 — The ongoing conflict in Iran is set to push tens of millions more people into severe hunger by June, according to a report released by the World Food Programme on Tuesday.

The attacks initiated by the United States and Israel on February 28 have significantly disrupted crucial humanitarian aid pathways, causing delays in delivering essential supplies to some of the most crisis-stricken regions worldwide.

The World Food Programme’s Deputy Executive Director, Carl Skau, highlighted that an additional 45 million individuals might experience acute hunger due to escalating costs of food, oil, and shipping. This surge would drive the global hunger total beyond the current record of 319 million people.

“Such an increase would set a new record for global hunger levels, presenting a dire, dire situation,” Skau remarked.

He further explained that even before the onset of this conflict, the world was already grappling with an unprecedented level of hunger, both in terms of the sheer number of affected individuals and the intensity of their need.

Skau noted that since the conflict began, shipping costs have surged by 18%, necessitating the rerouting of some shipments to ensure aid reaches those in need.

The ​extra costs come on top ​of deep spending cuts by the WFP, as donors focus more on ​defence, he added.