By Nikolaj Nielsen 

 

BRUSSELS, 18 March. - (ANA) - The money spent by the US attacking Iran over the past two weeks could have saved the lives of 87 million people, according to the United Nations.

 

“The US alone has already spent more money on this conflict in the last two and a half weeks than the $23bn (€19.9bn) I need to save 87 million lives this year,” said Tom Fletcher, a senior official at the United Nations.

 

According to US media reports, the Trump administration spent over $11.3bn in the first six days alone of its war against Iran.

 

Speaking to European lawmakers in the development committee on Tuesday (17 March), Fletcher said the €19.9bn also represents less than one percent of what the world will spend this year on guns and arms and defence.

 

“This is a very tough time to be a humanitarian. It’s a very tough time actually, to be a UN official,” he also said, noting that major UN agencies and international NGOs have been forced to cut roughly a third of their staff.

 

Fletcher, a British career diplomat, has the full official title of UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

 

Last year also marked a stark reversal for global aid.

 

The world’s 10 largest humanitarian donors collectively contributed roughly $9bn less than in 2024, even as humanitarian needs surged worldwide.

 

Major donors implemented drastic cuts despite escalating crises, raising alarms about a funding shortfall.

 

As a result, only about one-third of global humanitarian needs were funded last year.

 

Some 240 million people are need urgent humanitarian aid, says UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

 

The funding cuts has forced the UN to prioritise only 87 million people facing life threatening needs. But only $5bn has been mobilised so far, or about 15 percent of what is needed.

 

 

 

 

“The first victim of these pending cuts are women and children,” says Hadja Lahbib, European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management.

 

Also speaking to the development committee on Tuesday, Lahbib said the EU will continue to provide consistent and predictable humanitarian funding.

 

“But the challenges go beyond funding today, we are seeing serious violation of international humanitarian law and more obstacles to principled humanitarian access,” she said, in a veiled reference to Trump’s disdain for multilateralism.

 

Earlier this week, Lahbib announced €458m in humanitarian aid spread across Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria.

 

As for Iran, the EU has only invested several million euros to help Afghan refugees.

 

This comes as over three million people have been internally displaced in Iran since the launch of the US and Israeli war.

 

The commission is also preparing to issue a non-binding policy paper outlining strategic directions on humanitarian aid this spring.

 

Lahbib said it would emphasise respect for international humanitarian law, efforts to cut duplication and boost aid effectiveness, and tackling fragility at its root causes.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/18 March 2026  - - -