A senior United Nations official has called for an immediate halt to the US-Israel conflict with Iran, highlighting severe economic consequences for Arab countries. The conflict has already caused estimated losses of $186 billion for the region.
Speaking in Amman, UN Deputy Secretary-General Abdallah Al Dardari warned that even a single month of hostilities could reduce the Arab world’s GDP by approximately 6 percent. “Six percent of the GDP means the region has lost around $186 billion from its economy in just one month,” he said.
Al Dardari emphasized that Gulf countries, heavily reliant on oil exports, are bearing the brunt of the economic impact, with losses potentially reaching $168 billion in the Gulf and $30 billion in the Levant region.
“The Arab economy depends almost entirely on a single commodity; even non-oil-exporting countries rely on remittances from migrant workers and aid from oil-rich nations. This fragility has been starkly exposed by recent events, demonstrating that the regional economy is not sustainable in its current form,” he added.
He also raised concerns about employment and poverty, estimating that roughly 3.7 million jobs could be lost due to the conflict, and around 4 million additional people could fall below the poverty line this month alone.
Al Dardari’s remarks underline the urgent need for diplomatic intervention and economic diversification to mitigate the heavy human and financial costs of ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.
