TEHRAN – The World Food Program (WFP) has released its 2025 report on Iran based on the Interim Country Strategic Plan (ICSP 2023-2027).

In 2025, WFP sustained food assistance to some 33,300 vulnerable refugees living in 20 settlements across 13 provinces, including 404 refugees with disabilities (40 percent women) who received monthly cash top-ups. About 183 women and 190 men received WFP livelihood support.

WFP doubled cash transfer values since January 2025 safeguarding access to food amid price volatility and protecting the most vulnerable households.

Assistance remained uninterrupted, with targeted adjustments: wheat flour entitlements reduced from 12 kg to 9 kg (Nov-Dec) and school snacks paused (Oct-Dec) to stretch limited resources.

To promote girls' education and reduce barriers to attendance, approximately 2,629 girl students received cash incentives as part of WFP’s commitment to empowering young women. Some 9,261 boys and girls and their teachers benefitted from WFP school snacks.

For more than four decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has hosted Afghans fleeing conflict and hardship. In 2025, WFP remained essential to protecting the food security of vulnerable refugees residing in 20 settlements, where households rely on shelter, education and primary health care by the Government and other humanitarian actors, complemented by WFP’s monthly food assistance (through cash and in-kind modalities).

The program’s focus is on maintaining a dignified minimum basic needs while prioritizing those with the highest vulnerability, including households headed by women and persons with disabilities.

Operations are implemented in close collaboration and coordination with the Center for Alien and Foreign Immigrant Affairs (CAFIA), WFP’s primary governmental counterpart, and with International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO) and UN agencies mainly United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure coherent refugee support and referral pathways.

Despite a complex year, marked by economic volatility and temporary operational risks, WFP sustained core assistance to settlement refugees. To safeguard purchasing power, WFP increased cash-based transfer values by 100 percent in January 2025 following the recommendation of a settlement-specific Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) assessment; this was complemented by a one-time cash top-up to cushion households during market instability and reduced income after Iran-Israel 12-day conflict.

Targeted adjustments preserved program continuity: wheat flour entitlements were reduced from 12 kg to 9 kg per person for November-December, and the school snacks program was suspended for October to December.

These measures limit service disruptions while protecting life-saving transfers for the most vulnerable. Livelihood activities were scaled down given funding shortfalls and corporate efficiency measures, with WFP continuing to explore cost-effective, resilience-building options that can be re-activated as resources allow.

WFP reached around 33,300 settlement refugees with monthly food rations (fortified wheat flour and vegetable oil) and cash-based transfers. The program maintained inclusive design features, such as cash top-ups for people with disabilities and targeted support for school-age girls through conditional incentives when funding allowed. Partnerships strengthened reach and quality: WFP coordinated with UNHCR, United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Cooperazione e Sviluppo (CESVI) and Relief International (IR) through joint assessments, monitoring and inter-agency working groups (Cash, Livelihoods, Education, Protection, ...).

Under general food assistance, refugees living in 20 settlements received transfers throughout the year, with program adjustments aimed at preserving full-year coverage wherever possible.

For school-based program, the total number of assistance days decreased due to the October-December suspension, reflecting resource prioritization to protect food security outcomes for the most vulnerable.
Macroeconomic pressures (inflation, currency depreciation) and 12-day Iran-Israel conflict increased prices volatility and operational risk, necessitating flexible delivery modalities and contingency planning.

WFP’s adaptive adjustments, especially the January 2025 cash increase and targeted ration for people with disabilities and celiac diseases and onetime post shock cash top-up, were critical to sustaining acceptable consumption patterns among settlement refugees while avoiding pipeline breaks.

WFP’s work contributed directly to Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by safeguarding basic food needs and reinforcing coordinated refugee support. Activities were aligned with national frameworks and implemented in close collaboration with CAFIA and humanitarian partners, ensuring complementarity with government services and the broader refugee response architecture.

While donor priorities shifted regionally, impacting available resources, WFP intensified engagement with existing and prospective donors and leveraged with the Regional Office and Headquarters to sustain life-saving assistance and protect gains for settlement refugees. The programme’s efficiency adjustments and targeted resource prioritization were key to preserving continuity and minimizing impairment to households most at risk.

By December 2025, Iran continued to be one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries, sheltering approximately 2.5 million Afghans, including 773,000 individuals with official refugee status. Among them, around 35,000 critically vulnerable refugees reside in 20 settlements across 13 provinces.

Due to their extreme vulnerability, these refugees depend on free housing, primary healthcare, and education provided by the government and humanitarian actors. WFP supports these individuals through monthly food assistance (cash and in-kind), complemented by cash top-ups for persons with disabilities, celiac diseases, as well as school meals and livelihood program.