Paper Title
THE IRAN-ISRAEL CONFLICT AND MIDDLE EAST FOOD SECURITY: ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract
The MENA region faces significant food security challenges due to structural vulnerabilities such as water scarcity and import dependency. The Iran-Israel conflict exacerbates this fragility, threatening food security. While Iran's domestic water stress and soil infertility impact its agricultural self-sufficiency goals, it also holds potential as a regional food security hub, despite existing rural food security issues. This study analyzes the conflict's economic (trade disruptions, increased food/input costs, resource diversion to military spending) and environmental (air/water pollution, nuclear contamination risk) impacts. Conflict-triggered trade route disruptions (Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea) and rising energy pricesincrease food costs. Resources diverted to military expenditures (e.g., Israel's daily costs of millions of dollars) restrict investments in vital sectors like agriculture and social programs. Specifically for Iran, strategic investments in defense further deepen existing underinvestment in agriculture. Environmental degradation, including nuclear risks (air/water pollution, oil spills, radiation), directly impacts agricultural productivity and product quality, severely jeopardizing food security. This situation gravely risks food security. Despite this bleak outlook, potential mitigation methods exist, such as protecting supply chains and supporting local production. However, the sustainability of these measures depends on regional stability and the neutrality of superpowers in conflicts. Superpower involvement can weaken international cooperation, hindering food security efforts. This analysis underscores the devastating effects of geopolitical conflicts on food security.