In a post on his X account on Friday, Esmaeil Baqaei pointed to reports indicating that millions of Americans face difficulties accessing sufficient nutritious food and questioned US policies toward monitoring and addressing the issue, arguing that Washington should focus on domestic conditions before commenting on hunger elsewhere.
“Charity begins at home — and it is desperately needed there,” he said.
“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. Since 2020, the number of people facing food insecurity has risen by 4.2 million,” Baqaei stated.
“Feeding America confirms the same stark reality: 47 million Americans struggle daily with hunger and its severe health and social consequences,” the Iranian spokesman added.
“The ‘solution’ from US authorities? In September 2024, the USDA quietly terminated its 30-year-old annual report on household food insecurity — effectively ending the official tracking and acknowledgment of hunger in America,” Baqaei noted.
“So, after ‘solving’ domestic hunger by simply stopping the reports, Washington now feels qualified to lecture the world about hunger elsewhere,” he added.