Save the Children has warned that the oil price surge triggered by the US war on Iran is undermining its ability to deliver aid, saying it is now forced to "spend more to reach fewer children". The charity says higher transport, fuel, food and medical supply costs linked to the Middle East conflict have already diverted resources that could have reached an additional 1.5 million children, with developing countries bearing the brunt as governments impose energy restrictions amid what the International Energy Agency has called the largest supply disruption in history.

The charity calculated the extra delivery costs at $13m (£10m), equivalent to running 47 health clinics in Afghanistan for six months or five 30-bed hospitals in Somalia for a year. Oil, expected to average around $60 a barrel in 2026, surged above $100 after the US attacked Iran and Tehran restricted the strait of Hormuz; prices eased after a summer ceasefire but have climbed back above $90 as hostilities resume, also pushing up fertiliser and food costs. The squeeze compounds a broader decline in aid funding, with global aid spending down 23% in real terms last year following cuts by the US and UK, prompting renewed calls for Britain to restore its 0.7% aid spending target.