TEHRAN – The World Food Program (WFP) has released a report, expounding on activities in Iran over the month of April.

In April, WFP food assistance reached 34,210 beneficiaries, including Afghan and Iraqi refugees, through a hybrid combination of in-kind food and cash-based transfers (CBT).

Refugees are assisted with a staple food basket, which includes fortified wheat flour (a ration of 9 kg per person, reduced from 12 Kg since the month of November 2025 due to funding shortfalls).
As part of the ongoing inclusion of 7,000 newly referred refugees, 829 refugees were added to the wheat flour recipient list in April, bringing the total number if beneficiaries to 1,600 since March 2026, with additional eligible individuals expected to be incorporated progressively.

CAFIA, the Iranian authorities handling refugees status, paused documentation processing temporarily due to the escalation of conflicts, but the process for administrative processing has now resumed.
Under CBT modality, WFP continued to provide cash assistance to support the essential living costs of vulnerable refugees. The transfer is IRR 8 million (USD 5.7) for households headed by men and IRR 9 million (USD 6.4) for households headed by women. In addition, a supplementary top-up equivalent to half of the monthly entitlement was disbursed to beneficiaries’ bank cards.

By April, WFP Iran helped ease the financial burden associated with the gluten-free dietary needs of 57 refugee celiac patients from WFP’s beneficiaries by providing them with an extra cash amount of IRR 9.7 million (USD 6.9) per person as a replacement for their usual food entitlement.

Moreover, WFP supported 409 refugees with disabilities across eleven settlements, each receiving an additional monthly cash support of IRR 3 million (USD 2.1), on top of their regular aid. Initially launched in two provinces, the initiative was gradually expanded to cover 11 settlements in Saveh, Semnan, Bani Najar, Sarvestan, Bezileh, Abazar, Rafsanjan, Bardsir, Jahrom, Meybod, and Torbat-e-jam.

As schools shifted to remote learning amid rising hostilities, WFP transitioned to take home rations, distributing biscuits and date bars to 8,303 refugee students and their teachers in April. Milk could not be procured due to funding shortfalls and its high cost. A total of 4.6 mt of date bars and 3.8 mt of fortified biscuits were distributed.

WFP provided 2,618 refugee girls with a monthly cash incentive of IRR 2 million (USD 1.4) transferred to their bank accounts. This is a part of WFP Iran’s efforts to promote education for refugee girls by providing them with cash for each month of regular school attendance.

To enhance the economic resilience and self-sufficiency of 315 refugees (50 percent women) in April, WFP continued its support for 26 income-generating initiatives across 18 settlements. Activities included welding, tailoring, baking, and farming, among others.

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.

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.