{
  "id": 17365295,
  "title": "'Adapt to higher prices', UN official warns amid Hormuz standoff and threat of new war",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/adapt-to-higher-prices-un-official-warns-amid-hormuz-standoff-and",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T08:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/31/adapt-to-higher-prices-un-official-warns-amid-hormuz-standoff-and-threat-of-new-war/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A UN official has warned that the ongoing Iran war and the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz have rapidly changed priorities across the Middle East. Abdullah Al Dardari, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States, spoke at the Manama Dialogue forum in Bahrain. He explained that people are having to adjust to higher prices, less subsidies, and more taxation in a rapid timeframe, far quicker than previous crises. The war with Iran has caused the deepest oil and gas shock in modern history, deeper than previous conflicts. Countries that were previously classified as oil-rich or oil-poor are now in a new category of \"rich but fragile,\" with financial buffers but also facing challenges. Gulf states have shown responsibility in improving regional connectivity to mitigate the impacts of the Strait of Hormuz closure. However, the widening gap between the \"haves\" and \"have-nots\" due to the Iran war has raised concerns about potential division in the region. Despite these challenges, Mr. Dardari believes that the essence of the problem remains in Palestine, as highlighted during the UNGA and in upcoming reports.",
  "summary": "The Iran war and the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz have upended life across the Middle East, forcing governments and people to adapt to a higher cost of living at a pace that would normally take decades, a UN official has warned. Abdullah Al Dardari, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the UN Development Programme, told The National how the…",
  "key_points": [
    "UN official warns of rapid price adjustments in Middle East",
    "Iran war causes deepest oil and gas shock in modern history",
    "Gulf states improving regional connectivity to mitigate impacts"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The unprecedented energy shocks from the Iran war are forcing Middle Eastern nations into a fragile new economic reality where rapid taxation and subsidy cuts threaten to deepen regional inequality.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}