UN chief: Cost of Iran war could have funded aid for 87 million people

<article data-history-node-id="439352" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/un-chief-cost-iran-war-could-have-funded-aid-87-million-people" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/un-chief-cost-iran-war-could-have-funded-aid-87-million-people" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">UN chief: Cost of Iran war could have funded aid for 87 million people </span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p style="line-height:1.38">The $25b that the US has already spent on the war in Iran could have paid for the entirety of the UN’s humanitarian plan for 2026 to provide life-saving assistance to 87 million people, its head of humanitarian operations told AFP on Thursday.</p> <p>The United Nations has received 28 percent of its funding for the proposed $23b humanitarian plan for this year.&nbsp;</p> <p>UN under-secretary-general Tom Fletcher said that this represents “less than 1 percent of global spending on arms and defense next year”, and pointed out that the number corresponds with the Pentagon’s estimations about the cost of the war in Iran released on Wednesday.</p> </div> </div> </article>