While international attention has primarily focused on the vast region’s declining opium production, advanced criminal drug trafficking networks have successfully shifted toward manufacturing and exporting synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine, commonly known as meth.

The evidence 

Iranian seizures of meth increased from 30,393 kilos in 2022 to 40,453 kilos in 2025.

Seizing the often-fatal drugs wasn’t easy. Authorities conducted five intelligence-led operations targeting massive meth shipments from Afghanistan, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported from Tehran on Thursday.

The shipments were headed by land across the Afghanistan-West Asia corridor, where the illicit drugs typically travel through Türkiye en route to Europe.

“The clear signal from Tehran is that these substantial shipments are being intercepted before they can reach international markets,” UNODC’s Iran office wrote. “Yet, sustained success will require enhanced international cooperation and support.”

Dangers of meth

Meth is an extremely dangerous, highly addictive stimulant typically manufactured in covert laboratories. Overdosing on it can lead to seizures and death, while long-term use can lead to malnutrition and psychological dependence on the drug, UNODC says.

In the US, for example, about 96,000 overdose deaths between January 2021 and June 2024 involved meth, according to data from the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Consequently, UNODC said that disrupting shipments of meth represents lives saved across Europe and the Middle East and cuts off the illicit financial flows that fund organised crime.

Meanwhile, nearby countries such as Syria continue to seize thousands of tablets of Captagon, an illicit synthetic drug that is taken as a pill and is most prevalent in the Middle East.

The drug was a key source of currency for the toppled Assad regime but large-scale production has been disrupted under the new Government in Damascus.  

UN aiding interceptions

Criminal networks are quickly adapting, using sophisticated concealment methods to move multi-tonne meth shipments, UNODC said.

But the UN’s crime fighting agency has moved quickly, too.

UNODC has helped Iran procure advanced detection scanners to stop meth at the border. It has also worked to strengthen the country’s forensic capabilities in identifying new, potentially dangerous synthetic compounds.

Sustained donor investment is critical to prevent the corridor from becoming a major drug smuggling route, but the effort also requires “a collective and sustainable approach by the international community,” according to the drugs and crime agency, which is headquartered in Vienna.

“By supporting UNODC’s work in Iran, donor nations are investing in regional stability and international security, while also protecting their own borders from the flow of illicit substances,” the agency said.

The threat to ships carrying oil in the Middle East is at its worst since the Iran war started, experts have said, after a spate of attacks on another key route in the region.

The warning comes after a number of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, an alternative waterway that some tankers had been using since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has denied Donald Trump’s claim that it was in talks with the US over reopening the strait, but said it was speaking to Oman about securing the shipping lane.

“In terms of threat to the trade of crude, we’re at the worst period that we’ve been in since this since this crisis began,” said Matthew Wright, an analyst at ship-tracking firm Kpler.

The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz was just eight on Sunday and 11 on Saturday, compared with more than 100 per day before the war began, according to Kpler.

Before the conflict, about 20% of the world’s oil and gas passed through the strait.

The temporary peace deal with the US struck in early June led to numbers rising again, but the resumption of strikes between the two countries roughly a month later have significantly reduced traffic.

Many ships have been “going dark” when crossing the strait, meaning they turn off their transponder to avoid detection.

For much of the war, some ships carrying oil from Saudi Arabia had instead passed through an alternative shipping lane in the Red Sea, between the kingdom and northeast Africa.

But a recent spate of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi fighters on Saudi tankers using the alternative waterway has further heightened the risks.

What you need to know

• Israeli hostilities and demolitions continued in southern Lebanon, where at least 4,329 deaths and 12,233 injuries were recorded since 2 March, with 349 fatalities and 229 injuries since the latest ceasefire announcement, the UN relief agency, OCHA, reported
• Over the past five months, more than 4,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured across six countries, including 2,500 in Iran as US bombing continues, with 386 killed and 2,117 injured, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• Hamas and US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace reached agreement on disarmament and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of plans following the Hamas-Israel October 2025 ceasefire, UN chief António Guterres noted on Friday
• In Gaza, Israel has killed 1,180 Palestinians and injured 3,810 others between the October 2025 ceasefire and 22 July 2026, and this week, continued airstrikes and gunfire, restricted aid entry and made further advances of the so-called “yellow line” marking Israeli’s line of control across multiple areas, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, reported
• In the occupied West Bank, Israeli attacks have killed 1,122 Palestinians, at least 246 of them children, between the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023 and 24 July 2026, with 76 killed since the beginning of this year, according to the latest OCHA casualty report 

Youngest victims

As the US and Iran continue to trade strikes and counterstrikes in Iran and neighboring countries, children continue to be killed and maimed in the places where they should be safest – their homes, schools and communities, UNICEF’s acting director for the Middle East and North Africa Abdul Fofana said in a statement.

“Yesterday, in Qeshm Island, off the southern coast of Iran, a two-year-old child was reportedly killed alongside the child’s parents after a strike hit a residential building,” he said, reiterating UNICEF’s call on all parties to comply with obligations under international humanitarian law. “This latest incident is yet another stark reminder that children across the region continue to pay the heaviest price.”

Ceasefires must be respected and “parties to the conflict should not normalise the suffering of children, who remain at the sharpest end of conflicts they did not start and have no power to stop.”

Read the full statement here.

Gaza airstrikes, West Bank violence

Israeli airstrikes and gunfire peppered a deteriorating operating environment in Gaza, with “a significant escalation in hostilities observed in the humanitarian area”, known as the “green zone”, situated west of the so-called “yellow line” of control designated by Israeli forces, UNRWA reported.

Israeli restrictions on goods entering Gaza are also posing challenges.

Fuel, engine oil and spare parts restrictions have made more than half of UNRWA’s fleet unable to operate and have affected 62 water wells.

Read UNWRA’s latest humanitarian update here.

UN chief calls for ceasefire in the Gulf

What began as a regional conflict is increasingly becoming a driver of global instability, disrupting trade through the Strait of Hormuz, driving up food and energy prices, straining supply chains and increasing the risk of hunger and poverty worldwide, Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday following his visit to the region.

“Throughout my visits and in my ongoing outreach with leaders, one message is impossible to ignore: the region and the world cannot afford more war,” he said.

“Let me be clear: the fighting must stop. International navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab [off the Yemeni coast at the mouth of the Red Sea] must be fully restored and diplomacy must prevail.”

In the past week, the Iran-backed Houthis which control much of Yemen have blockaded Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, reportedly striking Saudi tankers. 

Syria’s recovery

Turning to his visit to Syria, Mr. Guterres said stronger support must be shown for the country’s recovery after years of war.

“I saw a country beginning to emerge from years of devastation,” he said.

“The international community must match that hope with action, including the full lifting of sanctions and sustained support for recovery.”

Watch the UN chief’s press conference here:

“The humanitarian consequences of the Middle East escalation are worsening by the day,” OCHA said in its latest update.  

Since Wednesday, civilian casualties have been recorded in Iran and Kuwait, while damage or destruction to critical infrastructure has been highlighted in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 

Civilians at growing risk 

In Iran, a new wave of strikes was reported on Thursday in the provinces of Fars, Hormozgan, Bushehr and Khuzestan, including the country’s main oil-producing region. 

Local sources reported that a strike in Qeshm, Hormozgan province, hit a residential building, killing three civilians, including a two-year-old. Two other children were reportedly injured. 

Iranian health authorities said that as of 27 July, at least 60 people have been killed, and 670 injured, since hostilities escalated a month ago. 

UN agencies and humanitarian partners already operating in Iran continue to support the response to the growing humanitarian needs. 

Critical aid lifelines under pressure 

The disruption is also affecting countries that play a key role in humanitarian operations in the region. Jordan and Egypt remain vital lifelines for aid deliveries and medical evacuations in this regard. 

As fighting intensifies, OCHA said it will continue to monitor the humanitarian impact.  The agency called on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, which includes protecting both civilians and vital infrastructure from harm. 

Five months have passed since the current crisis erupted following the US-Israeli bombing of Iran, and retaliatory strikes by Tehran against Gulf States and Jordan, with impacts felt throughout the region and beyond.  

An agreement signed in June establishing a ceasefire framework collapsed weeks later over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping corridor for oil, liquified natural gas and fertilisers. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is deeply alarmed about the resumption of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea this week and the renewed threats to maritime navigation, his Spokesperson said in a statement. 

The Yemeni armed movement formally known as Ansar Allah, backed by Iran, recently entered the conflict and have threatened to blockade the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping route to the Red Sea. 

The Houthis have been battling Yemeni Government forces, who are backed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, for more than a decade.  On Thursday, they claimed to have struck two Saudi oil tankers, according to media reports. 

Risk of wider regional conflict 

“The attack on commercial vessels, claimed by the Houthis, risks further heightening regional tensions and widening the current cycle of escalation with the potential to draw Yemen deeper into regional conflict,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement. 

He warned that “further hostilities in Yemen will undermine prospects for peace, and cause serious economic, humanitarian and environmental consequences across and beyond the region.” 

In response, the Secretary-General called for immediate de-escalation and urged the Houthis – who control the capital and much of the west – to refrain from any further attacks or other escalatory actions, in line with UN Security Council resolutions on attacks against commercial vessels and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.  

The UN Special Envoy for Yemen also expressed alarm over the resumed Houthi attacks. Hans Grundberg has held extensive engagements over the past weeks with Yemeni, regional and international stakeholders.

Concern for stranded seafarers 

The UN has been pushing for peace since the current conflict in the Middle East first erupted in late February following joint US-Israeli bombing of Iran and retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the Gulf region.  

A ceasefire announced in April, which was extended, collapsed this month, including over violations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway responsible for roughly a quarter of global sea trade particularly oil and gas supplies. 

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Friday called for urgent action on behalf of thousands of seafarers who remain stranded in the strait. 

At least 6,000 crew members on some 400 vessels are still there, having been unable to evacuate during the ceasefire, according to information from the International Maritime Organization (IMO). 

“This number is not exhaustive as many others are unaccounted for, believed to be stuck in the Persian Gulf on a range of smaller vessels or have otherwise not been located,” said Shabia Mantoo, Spokesperson for the High Commissioner. 

Abandoned ships 

She said his office, OHCHR, has also obtained information that some seafarers have been abandoned by shipowners who have left them on the high seas without support, repatriation and even their owed wages.  

OHCHR is aware of at least nine such ships, with 93 crew members, who have been abandoned since the start of the war.  

“The seafarers have been left on their ships to fend for themselves without food, water, fuel, medical care, electricity or means to communicate with their families,” Ms. Mantoo said. 

Danger at sea 

Crew members “face prolonged isolation and confinement in a conflict zone, with uncertainty about their safety and disembarkation – risking a severe toll on their mental and physical well-being.” 

They also remain exposed to hostilities as deadly attacks continue in the Strait of Hormuz. Ms. Mantoo recalled that there have been 17 seafarer deaths since the start of the conflict. 

“Attacks against civilian vessels are unacceptable and must stop. They are protected under international humanitarian law,” she said. 

The High Commissioner called on States, shipowners and all relevant parties “to urgently ensure the protection of stranded seafarers including through ensuring effective access to consular assistance, essential supplies and services – and by facilitating evacuations and repatriations.” 

Moreover, “parties to the conflict should urgently work to facilitate safe passage for stranded seafarers to safely evacuate and disembark, as well as ensure the delivery of critical supplies.” 

So what effect is all this having on the wider region?

Firstly, it is important to note that two countries previously wracked by ruinous civil wars – Iraq and Syria – are now largely peaceful and stable, at least compared to where they were.

The Gaza War is technically in a ceasefire, although Gazans continue to be killed in air strikes, while Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, are proliferating across the occupied West Bank. Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon is on hold as the two countries continue negotiations.

But right now it is the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula that are worrying analysts the most.

Trump has got himself into a war with Iran that he cannot seem to find a way out of.

Night after night of US airstrikes are failing to force Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to give up control of the Strait of Hormuz.

With every air strike, the IRGC hits back at those neighbouring Arab states that host US bases, trying to drive a wedge between them and Washington.

From an economic perspective, the clock is ticking. Every day that Gulf oil, gas, fertiliser and other essential products cannot get through the Strait of Hormuz to markets puts pressure on global supply chains and eventually prices.

If the Bab El Mandeb Strait is also going to be shut for some time then the impact on the world economy will be exacerbated further.

From a military perspective, tensions have been raised another notch by the deal announced on Wednesday, paving the way for US firms to help Saudi Arabia develop its own domestic civil nuclear power programme.

There is no indication that the Saudis will use this as a first step towards building a nuclear bomb.

But there are still fears it could potentially trigger an arms race across the region in the future, with both Turkey and Egypt stepping up their own nuclear activities as they seek some form of deterrence and protection.

The Middle East has suffered numerous spikes of violence in its recent history and this is not the worst of those.

But taken together, there are a number of worrying strands here that – without a lasting, comprehensive deal between the US and Iran – could well indicate a prolonged period of instability for the region.

“We are indeed concerned by a resurgence of hostilities and renewed escalation across much of the region,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday in New York, stressing that “immediate de-escalation is essential.” 

He noted that “as in any conflict, the protection of civilians and civilian objects is critical,” and the vital infrastructure they rely on to survive – including hospitals and water supplies – must be spared. 

“All parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution,” he said. 

Renewed threat out of Yemen 

The Spokesperson added that the UN is also “very much concerned” over fresh threats by Houthi rebels in Yemen against Saudi Arabia and freedom of navigation in the crucial shipping lanes of the Red Sea along Yemen’s coast, underscoring the risk of an even wider regional escalation.   

He again called for immediate de-escalation and urged all parties to address their differences through dialogue and diplomacy. 

Fear and uncertainty 

The renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, which initially began over control of the Strait, have dampened hopes for peace following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran in June. 

The deal ought to end fighting that began in February with the US and Israel bombing Iran which in turn carried out retaliatory strikes on targets in several Gulf States and Jordan. 

“Across the Middle East, civilians are once again living with the fear and uncertainty of repeated strikes, and health systems are being forced to manage the consequences,” said Dr. Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director for the World Health Organization (WHO), in an update on Monday. 

The situation in Iran 

She said Iranian health authorities report that 50 people have been killed this month, and more than 500 injured, with women and children among the casualties. Moreover, vital infrastructure has also been affected.  

She pointed to a reported strike on a water desalination plant in Hormozgan province, located in the south of the country, that has disrupted safe drinking water supply for thousands. 

Meanwhile, explosions near Baqaei Reference Hospital last week forced the precautionary evacuation of children receiving specialized cancer treatment. 

Nuclear site reportedly struck 

In other developments, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Sunday that it was looking into reports of an overnight attack on the site of the Darkhovin nuclear power plant in Iran which is under construction.  

The UN agency said the facility is still in the very early stages of construction and contained no nuclear material when inspectors last visited. 

While the attack is not believed to pose any radiological risk, IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi called for military restraint around all nuclear-related sites. 

Fallout across Gulf States 

WHO also highlighted incidents elsewhere, such as Qatar, where falling shrapnel injured five civilians.  

Authorities in nearby Kuwait reported injuries and significant damage following a strike on an oil facility.  Power and water desalination plants also sustained hits, causing one injury and the deactivation of several power generation units. 

“These incidents are placing civilians and environmental health at growing risk, while putting sustained pressure on emergency responders and health services,” Dr. Balhky said about the overall situation. 

In response, WHO has called for immediate de-escalation across the Middle East, as well as protection of civilians and healthcare, in line with international humanitarian law. 

Nearly four months after the latest Middle East crisis erupted and despite a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, tensions continue to reverberate across the region and beyond. The UN Security Council is holding a high-level debate on advancing political solutions in the Middle East, amid continuing conflicts, humanitarian emergencies and concerns over regional stability. Follow live in-depth meetings coverage here.