HANOI, Vietnam — The war in Iran, which began months ago, has disrupted lives far beyond the battlefield, affecting people across seven countries. While the conflict started thousands of miles away, its impact quickly spread through global oil markets, causing fuel prices to rise and triggering economic shocks that reached farms, factories, and family budgets worldwide.

The global economy's dependence on fossil fuels, which also contribute to climate change, makes it vulnerable to such disruptions. The United Nations Development Program has warned that a severe shock to this system could push an additional 45 million people into poverty.

For many distant from the conflict, the war's effects have manifested not through direct violence but in the upheaval of everyday life. Businesses have faltered, farewells have been tinged with fear, and livelihoods have become increasingly precarious.

One individual, who previously earned about $8 a day driving — sometimes twice that on good days — now faces financial uncertainty. Another mother strives to manage her finances carefully for her two young children, saying, “It’s summer so they always want an ice cream and I want to make sure I have that extra cash there for them. They shouldn’t be able to suffer because of whatever is going on around the world.”

In Nepal, a mother hugged her son tightly before he joined a queue of young men heading to the Gulf, a region whose remittances account for about 10% of Nepal’s GDP, underscoring the far-reaching economic ties affected by the conflict.

These personal stories illustrate the broad and profound ways the Iran war has reshaped lives and economies across the globe.

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