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

In August, WFP food assistance reached 35,711 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).

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 5.2) for households headed by men and IRR 9 million (USD 5.8) for households headed by women.

By August, WFP Iran helped ease the financial burden associated with the gluten-free dietary needs of 60 refugee celiac patients from WFP’s beneficiaries by providing them with an extra cash amount of IRR 9.7 million (USD 6.3) per person as a replacement for their usual food entitlement.

WFP supported 409 refugees with disabilities across eleven settlements, each receiving an additional monthly cash support of IRR 3 million (USD 1.9), 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.

The school feeding program and education incentives are suspended due to summer holidays, and will resumed with the start of the new academic year.

In August, WFP supported 27 income-generating projects in 18 settlements to improve economic resilience and self-sufficiency for 299 refugees, 38 percent of whom were women, and the remainder were youth. These activities included welding, tailoring, baking, farming, and other trades, providing opportunities for women and youth to develop practical skills, strengthen social connections, and actively engage with their communities.

As part of the response to the recent escalation, WFP started to provide cash transfers affected Iranian households, with the first round completed reaching 340 households, of which 327 were male-headed households.

Assistance was provided according to household size: IRR 210 million (USD 139.1) for households of one to three members; IRR 350 million (USD 231.9); for households of four to five members; IRR 420 million (USD 278.3) for households of six or more members.

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 the 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 the 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.

MT/MG