Middle East - Regional Coordination Meeting Minutes, 17 March 2026

Content

1. Situation Update

INCREASED POPULATION MOVEMENT

Increased population movements and displacement across the Middle East, including over 120,000 refugees returning to Syria, 14,000 Lebanese crossing into Syria, and 831,000 displaced in Lebanon, with 130,000 sheltering in collective sites.  An estimated 2-3 million people are internally displaced in Iran.  In Afghanistan, 115,000 people are displaced compounded with the ongoing returnee crisis. 

INFORMATION CHALLENGES

Information from Iran is sparse due to telecommunications issues, which would be further detailed by telecommunications colleagues, and emphasized the importance of partner information sharing during the call.

2. Logistics Update

Collegues from the Logistics Cluster, WFP Shipping, and UNHRD Dubai provided updates on airspace restrictions, port operations, and ongoing challenges.

AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS

Airspace remains closed in Bahrain, Isreal, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Syria.  Some countries in the region are operating with restrictions, including limited flights for evacuation and repatriation, and intermittent closures of their airspace (including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE). 

PORT ACCESS AND OPERATIONS

Access to gulf ports is heavily restricted with the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz is ongoing.  The Port of Beirut is operational, Jebel Ali in UAE is operational but no vessels in or out, and the Port of Salalah in Oman was closed for several days but is now operating at partial capacity as of 15 March. 

WFP Shipping reported significant backlogs and shipment delays resulting from closure of Port of Salalah. Main carriers are not accepting bookings to or from several Middle Eastern countries, and for ports like Salalah and Kofakan, bookings are open but acceptance is uncertain, with import cargo prioritized over export.

FUEL

Crude oil prices have increased 40% over the last two weeks and are now over $100 per barrel, which will impact delivery costs and budgets.  Partners are urged to report constraints for potential solutions.

CUSTOMS BETWEEN OMAN AND UAE

UNHRD shared that a new ‘Green Corridor’ customs agreement between Oman and UAE is in progress, aimed at facilitating seamless customs and border clearance between the countries, though details and benefits for partners are still being clarified. UNHRD asked that partners contact them with their needs so they can share information with contracted partners and return with a solution.

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 corridor (Pakistan) remains closed since October 2025.  Containerized cargo is continuing to accumulate at ports and warehouses with related charges compounding. 
• The recent escalation in Iran and the rest of the region has effectively paused the usability of the usual alternate route through Iran for humanitarian consignments.
• Agencies are testing northern routing options that bypass Iran including Karachi and Mersin with overand transport via Georgia-Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan into Afghanistan.

Early indications suggest transport costs through the longer northern routes are 200-260% higher than the previous Iran corridor forwarding rates.  Lead times have also increased from approximately 10 days via Iran to 75 days via the northern routes.

LEBANON

The Logistics and Telecommunications Cluster has been activated in Lebanon, though the team was already operating in country as a working group.  Additional colleagues have arrived in Lebanon to support. The team in country will be supporting with coordination, information management, and common services.  Common services provided will include cargo consolidation in Beirut and transportation at no-cost to users.  The setup and scale of support provided will depend on funding availability. 

Convoys are already ongoing in Lebanon.  On 16 March, the first humanitarian convoy to Tyre took place and the second convoy took place on 17 March to Rmyeic.  The third and fourth convoys are planned for 19 and 20 March, respectively.  Most cargo comes in through the port but an ECHO Airbridge flight has taken place, with additional flights planned ex Europe. 

There is no major fuel crisis in the country at this point but there are some concerns for health facilities in the south.  Some partners, including ICRC, are already working with the with the Ministry of Public Health to identify   key locations and support with the delivery of fuel. The cluster and WFP can explore support options if a need for transport or procurement of fuel emerges based on partner need and funding availability. 

4. Telecommunications Update

IRAN

• Complete blackout on telecommunications services reported during the past 24 hours.
• UN SIM cards have been deactivated.

LEBANON

• A telecommunications lead deployed on 15 March.
• Preparation is ongoing to upgrade the VSAT connectivity in case of increase of staff in WFP office.
• Work is ongoing for a backup solution in multiple locations.

PALESTINE

• Limited presence in office, otherwise buisness as usual.

AFGHANISTAN

• Reliable connectivity in country. 
• A fiber cut from the Pakistan side was reported, but Afghanistan is stable to get connectivity through other routes.

5. Partners Update

• UNHRD shared the charter flights from the UAE are being planned for late March and early April as there are no current restrictions on charter flights.
• A second ECHO Airbridge charter flight is landing tomorrow in Beirut with medical supplies.  At the moment it is preferable to use Brindisi and Copenhagan as departure points given the airspace restrictions in the region.

• UNHCR reported that 40 trucks were sent to Lebanon by road with no issues for Syria and Lebanon. 

   

6. Any Other Business

• Starting this week, communications will switch fully from the global mailing list to the regional mailing list.  Partners interested in receiving future communications and meeting invitations should fill in the sign up form: https://ee-eu.kobotoolbox.org/x/5pg8BxDB
• The Middle East regional mailbox is now available if partners want to ask questions or share information: middleeastcrisis.logscoord@wfp.org
• The upstream pipeline survey is still available for partners to share their operational plans: https://ee-eu.kobotoolbox.org/x/kXmev4sC

The next Middle East Regional Coordination Meeting will be held on 26 March 2026.

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