Europe Asia News

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said that charity should begin at home, noting that millions of people in the United States face food insecurity.

Baqaei said, “Charity begins at home, and that is where it is most urgently needed.”

Referring to data from the World Hunger Education Service, Baqaei stated, “In the United States, more than 47 million people, including one in five children, lack consistent access to or cannot afford enough nutritious food to maintain a healthy life. Since 2020, the number of people experiencing food insecurity has increased by 4.2 million.”

Baqaei also cited figures from Feeding America, saying, “Forty-seven million Americans struggle with hunger every day and its serious health and social consequences.”

Criticizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Baqaei said, “In September 2024, the USDA quietly discontinued its 30-year annual report on household food insecurity, effectively ending the official monitoring and acknowledgment of hunger in America.”

Baqaei added, “After ‘solving’ domestic hunger by stopping the reports, Washington now believes it has the authority to lecture the rest of the world about hunger elsewhere.”