Iranian Spokesman Criticizes US for Ignoring Domestic Hunger

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has criticized the United States for ending its annual report on household food insecurity, arguing that the move effectively hides the scale of hunger in the country.

In a post on his X account, Baghaei wrote, "Charity begins at home — and it is desperately needed there. As reported by World Hunger Education Service, more than 47 million people in the United States, including 1 in 5 children, cannot consistently access or afford enough nutritious food to live healthy lives."

He noted that since 2020, the number of people facing food insecurity has risen by 4.2 million. Feeding America, a major hunger-relief organization, confirms that 47 million Americans struggle daily with hunger and its severe health and social consequences.

Baghaei highlighted that in September 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quietly terminated its 30-year-old annual report on household food insecurity, effectively ending the official tracking and acknowledgment of hunger in America. He remarked, "So, after 'solving' domestic hunger by simply stopping the reports, Washington now feels qualified to lecture the world about hunger elsewhere."

The spokesman concluded sarcastically that the problem of hunger in America has been solved for nearly two years now. According to Mehr News Agency, Baghaei's comments underscore the contradiction in U.S. foreign policy, which often criticizes other nations' human rights records while overlooking domestic issues.