Middle East Regional Coordination Meeting Minutes, 02 April 2026

Content

1. Logistics Update

AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS

Some airspace has reopened, but intermittent closures continue. Airspace remains closed in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait. Some countries in the region are still operating with restrictions and intermittent closures of their airspace (including Isreal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE). Charter flights are available for cargo movements on some routes ex. U.A.E. and across the region – partners are requested to reach out in the event that they are unable to find charter flight availability or need alternate routing. Dubai Humanitarian and UNHRD are actively seeking opportunities and clearances to ensure the dispatch of humanitarian cargo ex. Dubai. 

PORT ACCESS

Access to gulf ports remains heavily restricted. Ports in Lebanon are operational. The UAE ports Jebel Ali and Sharjah are operational, and the Port of Salalah in Oman remains at full capacity. The “Green Corridor” between the UAE and Oman remains open as a multi-modal shipping lane for import of cargo into UAE through Oman (one way imports only).

FUEL

Crude oil prices have surpassed $100 per barrel and natural gas prices have spiked, having trickle down effects on shipping costs and additional fuel surcharges are being implemented by many logistics operators and freight forwarders.

LAND CARGO ROUTES

• IMC reported successful land cargo transit from Dubai through Saudi Arabia and into Syria. No unexepected challenges with customs were experienced though this route, though lead times increased from airlift timelines, but the route is a viable alternative option at present.
• WFP Syria and WFP Lebanon received cargo via land routes from Dubai through Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
• WFP will provide additional updates on alternative land routes as they are testing and will share full information once the routes have been utilized.

SHIPPING UPDATE

• Port of Salalah: A security incident on 28 March at the Salalah Container Terminal led to an operational disruption, following which a Port Advisory 16/26 (28 March) was issued confirming a suspension due technical difficulties. A damage assessment is ongoing with specialist teams inspecting crane infrastructure. The affected area remains limited and is not expected to materially impact terminal capacity once fully restored. Operations resumed on 31 March at a reduced capacity with a phased recovery plan in place. Short term operational constraints and delays are expected during the recovery period as larger vessels are prioritized to clear the backlog and feeder vessels are deprioritized. Vessels already en route have continued calling, although schedule disruptions remain likely.
• Alternative multi-modal route for cargo into Afghanistan: Sea freight via Poti Sea Port in Georgia -> rail freight to Baku, Azerbaijan -> sea freight (feeder) through the Caspian Sea -> discharged in Turkmenistan -> land freight into Afghanistan. This alternative route has not yet been tested, though the costing structure and supply chain network are in place. Partners can contact the Logistics Cluster for more information on the use of this route.

2.  Logistics Cluster Regional ConOps

The Logistics Cluster is developing a regional concept of operations (conops) which will be shared with the mailing list and posted on the website once finalized. The Logistics Cluster will continue to provide the humanitarian community with logistics and information management services including: 

• updates on the impacts of the situation on regional (primary) and broader (secondary) supply chain routes; 
• analysis of logistics constraints, bottlenecks, and operational risks; 
• regular regional information sharing and coordination; 
• consolidated analysis of corridors, borders, and route visibility; 
• and regional information products to support operational decision-making.

The conops will be kept updated and reflect the needs of the humanitarian community as the situation develops. 

Partners were reminded to leverage LogIE as a mapping tool to view status updates on logistics bottlenecks and alternative supply routes. Partners were asked to continue to share information on supply routes (including passability, customs, lead times, etc.) for LogIE to remain updated, and to contact the Logistics Cluster as needed to request more information on using LogIE as a tool, and/or to request specific maps. Direct export of static maps is also available for partner use; reach out in case instructions or more information is needed. 

3.  Country Clusters Updates

Updates were shared from the Logistics Cluster operations and working groups in the region.

AFGHANISTAN

Limited routing options to reach Afghanistan: 

• The southern Pakistan corridor remains constrained since October 2025. Containerized cargo is continuing to accumulate at ports and warehouses resulting in compounding storage and related charges. 
• Iran corridor: Routing cargo through Iran had previously served as an alternative to the southern corridor however it is currently not reliable due to wider regional uncertainty.
• Update on the testing of the multi-modal “Lapis Lazuli” route via Mersin, Turkiye (sea) with onward overland transport via Georgia -> Azerbaijan -> Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan -> Afghanistan (via Torghundi, Termez, and other northern entry points): WFP is working on the cost analysis and contracting needed for the establishment of this alternative route. 
• Alternative route: UAE -> Saudi Arabia -> Jordan -> Syria -> Turkey (lead time > 42 days) and onwards via the Lapis Lazuli route.

Correction from previously shared meeting minutes: the UAE-> Saudi Arabia -> Jordan -> Syria transport route alternate route (versus through Iran) plus the Lapis Lazuli route has resulted in a 1,300% cost increase.

• Lead time impact: Estimated lead times have increased from ~10 days (via Pakistan) to ~30 days via the alternate route referenced above combined with the Lapis Lazuli route. Up to ~65 days via the Cape of Good Hope into the Lapis Lazuli route.
• As noted during the shipping update (above), there is a multi-modal transport option from Poti, Georgia.

LEBANON

• The Lebanon Logistics and Telecommunications Cluster (LTC) is coordinating regionally to monitor supply routes, assess risks (including fuel availability and pricing), and develop alternative plans for possible pipeline or entry point disruptions, including tracking requirements for trucks from Syria and Jordan to undergo cross-loading.
• During the meeting, it was reported that at the Al Masnaa-Jdidet-BCP border crossing, trucks carrying humanitarian cargo were exempted from cross-loading, though commercial trucks were required to offload in Syria and reload onto Syrian trucks. As of 7 April 2025, this border crossing is closed.
• The first local medical logistics working group meeting was held (changed from a global meeting) to identify specific challenges affecting upstream transport of medical commodities into Lebanon, particularly constraints in transit countries related to medical commodity restrictions.
• The Lebanon LTC is currently providing the following common logistics services (no-cost transport service for partners):
  • Warehousing: Common storage and cargo consolidation in Beirut; Zahle consolidation point setup to support alternative convoy routes.
  • Convoys: Several convoys have been postponed due to security clearance notifications, limiting timely delivery to priority areas. Several convoys are planned in the coming week.

SYRIA

The Syria Logistics Working Group provided the following updates on the regional impact of operations on partners in Syria: 

• Reopening of Al-Waleed-Al-Tanf BCP (Syria/Iraq); all ports are open; Aleppo airport is operating with limited capacity; Damascus airport remains closed.
• Partners are currently sourcing from both local and regional markets and are experiencing rising commodity prices. The LWG is monitoring reports which will be fed into the regional updates and information sharing.
• Fuel is still available locally however, moderate price increases have been reported.
• Türkiye remains the main supply route into Syria with overland access unchanged since the start of the situation in late February.
• A partner stock and warehouse mapping exercise has been initiated by the Logistics Sector to map in-country capacity which will be shared during the next Syria LWG.

3. Telecommunications Update 

IRAN

• Continued disruptions to telecommunications services (since 15 March), rendering most digital platforms inaccessible; connectivity remains unstable with nation-wide disruptions.
• Mobile and internet services remain largely inconsistent or unavailable. Humanitarian personnel rely on landlines and other residual channels for essential communication.

LEBANON

• The telecommunications situation is stable but the Lebanon LTC is continuing to conduct assessments for service in communities and is awaiting an alternative connectivity license from the Government of Lebanon to support humanitarian partners.

4. Partner Updates & Questions

• A partner requested information on any specific procedures for overland transport of medical items from the UAE into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; information from partners was not available during the meeting and will be shared during the next Coordination meeting. 

5. Any Other Business

• The IMPACCT working group is compiling importation and customs information for the countries impacted by the crisis and will soon send a link to participate in a survey to create a consolidated overview.
• Partners were asked to notify the Logistics Cluster if they are unable to dispatch cargo currently positioned in the Gulf to enable a consolidated update on the impact of the crisis. A new survey link has been shared: https://ee-eu.kobotoolbox.org/x/c2qO3DaR   
• The upstream pipeline survey is still available for partners to share their operational plans: https://ee-eu.kobotoolbox.org/x/kXmev4sC
• All the documents and links related to the regional crisis can be found on the dedicated Logistics Cluster page which can be accessed from the home page of the website.

The next Middle East Regional Coordination Meeting will be held on 9 April 2026.

Contacts