{
  "id": 17368170,
  "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-17368170",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T08:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "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 cautioned that the Middle East must adapt to soaring costs rapidly following the Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz blockade, with consequences that would normally take decades. Abdullah Al Dardari, the UN Assistant Secretary-General, explained that governments and citizens must grapple with reduced subsidies, higher prices, and increased taxation, changes that are unfolding much faster than usual. The conflict has caused a significant disruption in global oil and gas prices, deeper than past crises. However, the impact on markets has been less severe. Al Dardari introduced a new category of \"rich but fragile\" countries, which are still better off than Lebanon and Syria but have financial buffers. The prolonged reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route, has made the region complacent, leading to a massive shock to economies, with the Middle East losing seven percent of GDP annually. The financial strain has forced countries to prioritize domestic reconstruction over supporting middle-income nations, exacerbating economic disparities. The widening gap between the rich and the poor is a cause for concern, with four million people pushed into poverty and another four million unemployed in the region. Despite these challenges, Al Dardari noted that Gulf states have demonstrated responsibility in enhancing regional connectivity to mitigate the Strait's closure effects. The EU and Turkey have also expressed interest in joining these efforts. Though Al Dardari acknowledges the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, he remains optimistic that technological advancements and the Arab Human Development Report, to be released next year, will help prevent some countries from being left behind. He emphasized that the core issue remains unresolved – the Palestinian crisis in Gaza, where the war has resulted in 74,000 deaths and widespread destruction.",
  "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": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "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."
}