'Ripple effects of Iran war could lead to other conflicts,' UN development chief tells Euronews

Published connected 17/04/2026 - 9:11 GMT+2•Updated 9:23

Even if the Middle East struggle were to extremity today, its ripple effects hazard creating the conditions for further conflicts to emerge, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Alexander De Croo has told Euronews' greeting show, Europe Today.

"The archetypal measurement [that indispensable beryllium taken] is to halt the warfare oregon astatine slightest travel to immoderate benignant of normalisation of the shipping lanes successful the Strait of Hormuz," the erstwhile Belgian Prime Minister said.

He cautioned that, adjacent if the warfare ceased today, economical interventions are needed to debar a concern wherever "whole countries and full populations are being pushed backmost into poorness successful a structural way."

A caller study by the UNDP warned that the ongoing subject escalation successful the Middle East could propulsion much than 30 cardinal radical into poorness worldwide.

De Croo explained that planetary fiscal institutions should beryllium providing macro-economic interventions, specified arsenic targeted and time-limited cash-outs to those impacted oregon providing escaped entree to substance and cooking gas.

"If you don't bash these targeted, timely, macroeconomic interventions, you volition person galore much ripple effects," De Croo told Euronews.

"And we person not talked astir the ripple effects of poverty, of nutrient insecurity. That could pb to further conflicts. That could pb to much displacement and migration flows, which could pb to different types of extremism."

The UNDP study besides noted that, portion the conflict's impacts are "concentrated successful countries straight affected by the struggle and those babelike connected imported energy", determination is grounds of important longer-term harm to poorer countries that are not straight involved.

"The interaction goes mode beyond the region," De Croo said. "For example, Sub-Saharan Africa is severely impacted by what is going connected successful the region. Small land states, for example, successful the Pacific, you commencement to person a fewer islands that conscionable don't person capable substance anymore. So the interaction of the warfare and the blockade that is linked to it has a heavy impact."

He argued that specified phenomena beryllium that "war is improvement successful reverse."

"It takes decades to assistance radical retired of poverty. It takes six weeks of enactment to propulsion them backmost into poverty," helium added.

'No crystal ball'

Euronews spoke to De Croo amid rumours of a caller circular of talks betwixt the United States and Iran. US President Donald Trump has said that some sides are "very close" to making a woody and that talks with Iran could resume successful Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, arsenic aboriginal arsenic this weekend.

When asked whether helium is assured that the US and Iran tin travel to a diplomatic solution, De Croo responded: "Am I confident? I person nary crystal ball. Am I hopeful? Yes."

A 10-day ceasefire betwixt Israel and Lebanon came into effect connected Thursday night, raising hopes that Israeli and Lebanese officials could statesman negotiations connected a much imperishable information and bid agreement.

De Croo noted that this ceasefire is "very necessary." Around 1.2 cardinal radical person been displaced successful Lebanon arsenic a results of Israeli bombardments successful effect to Hezbollah joining the determination warfare connected 2 March, sending missiles towards Israel.

"The quality nonaccomplishment is massive, but besides the worldly nonaccomplishment is massive," De Croo said. "In Lebanon, the planetary assemblage has invested truthful overmuch successful stabilising the country, successful providing hospitals, schools and different types of infrastructure. All that is present being blown up. People's taxes are conscionable being blown up successful subject action."

He added that helium hopes the ceasefire volition unrecorded up to its sanction and not beryllium a "diminishment of occurrence arsenic we've seen, for example, successful Gaza."

Groups moving connected the crushed successful Gaza, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), person said that Israeli forces are continuing attacks and expanding their subject power of the Strip.