Key humanitarian air, sea and land routes are being constricted by disruption from the war in the Middle East, delaying life-saving shipments to some of the world's worst crises, 10 aid officials have told Reuters.
The U.S.–Israeli war on Iran entered its seventh day on Friday (6 March), convulsing global markets and disrupting supply chains with airspace closures and the halt of shipping through thecritical Strait of Hormuz.
Aid to Gaza and Sudan is grinding to a halt and costs are soaring for help to the hundreds of millions suffering hunger crises around the world.
"People in dire need of assistance will have to wait longer for food," said Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security at the World Food Programme.
Already, tents, tarpaulins and lamps destined for Gaza and the West Bank have become stuck in the supply chain, the International Organization for Migration(IOM) said.
Aid groups say higher operational costs are straining budgets already facing massive donor cuts. The IOM said shipping firms were demanding emergency surcharges of approximately $3,000 per container.
Humanitarian groups stocking goods for rapid regional deployment at warehouses in Dubai's Humanitarian Hub face challenges moving supplies onto transit routes.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies cannot move trauma kits to help the Iranian Red Crescent with search and rescue from its Dubai hub, where they sit in a 10 million Swiss franc ($13 million) emergency stockpile, said Cecile Terraz, a Director at the IFRC.
The group cannot move stock through Jebel Ali port, where cargo normally moves onto planes or into the Strait of Hormuz after the region's largest container terminal was set on fire by the debris of an intercepted missile.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) Dubai hub operations are also frozen, Regional Director Hanan Balkhy said, obstructing 50 emergency requests from 25 countries and hampering operations such as polio vaccination.
Famine-struck Sudan is particularly exposed due to additional restrictions since 28 February on the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, the UNHCR said.
"We are particularly concerned about Africa," said a spokeswoman, adding that some cargoes were being sent around the Cape of Good Hope. The route takes up to three weeks longer.
Costs for fuel, transportation and insurance are also rising, and Terraz said the IFRC may have to cut deliveries to the Iranian Red Crescent.
Emma Maspero, senior manager in Copenhagen of the supply division of the United Nations children's body UNICEF, said she hoped flights carrying perishable humanitarian goods such as vaccines could be prioritised amid the airspace restrictions.
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Israel is bombarding Iran and Beirut on Friday as fighting continues to escalate across the Middle East, with missile, drone and air strikes reported in multiple countries as tensions rise between regional and global powers. Military activity, security alerts and travel disruptions continue.
U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” almost a week into the conflict with Tehran. Trump made the comments on social media on Friday (6 March), hours after the Iranian president said unspecified countries had begun mediation efforts.
The Israeli military says it has destroyed an underground bunker beneath Iran’s leadership complex in Tehran that it claims was built for former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Global market valuation of virtual currencies has surged to an unprecedented $2.73 trillion, approaching half the value of the world’s gold reserves. Yet for many investors, the promise of decentralisation is overshadowed by a growing concern: digital assets may be seized without prior warning.
In an exclusive interview with AnewZ, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Islamic Republic is "not targeting neighbouring countries," amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
Trump tells Axios he wants direct involvement in who takes over as Iran's next leader, rejecting Khamenei's son as "unacceptable" and citing the need for a figure who can bring "peace and harmony".
Israel is bombarding Iran and Beirut on Friday as fighting continues to escalate across the Middle East, with missile, drone and air strikes reported in multiple countries as tensions rise between regional and global powers. Military activity, security alerts and travel disruptions continue.
Türkiye and Iran’s foreign ministers spoke by phone after reports that a ballistic missile entered Turkish airspace, with Tehran denying responsibility and insisting its recent strikes targeted only U.S. and Israeli facilities.
China has called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their growing border dispute through dialogue and diplomatic channels, as clashes between their security forces entered a seventh day and left more than 160 people dead or injured, according to the United Nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” almost a week into the conflict with Tehran. Trump made the comments on social media on Friday (6 March), hours after the Iranian president said unspecified countries had begun mediation efforts.
The Israeli military says it has destroyed an underground bunker beneath Iran’s leadership complex in Tehran that it claims was built for former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Türkiye has said it is “closely monitoring” the movements of the so-called Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) following U.S. calls for local Kurdish militias to join the ongoing regional conflict against Iran.
Countries and international organisations have widely condemned Iran’s drone attack on civilian infrastructure in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on 5 March, expressing solidarity with Baku and denouncing the aggression. Three drones hit the area at the airport and near a school.
Iran's Provisional Leadership Council has been given new constitutional powers by the State Expediency Council to assign or remove military commanders and to declare war or peace, local media reported quoting the Expediency Council's spokesman.
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