Dubai: The International Monetary Fund sharply reduced its 2026 growth forecast for the Middle East and North Africa to 1.1 percent on Tuesday as war chokes Gulf oil and gas exports.
Iran, Iraq and Qatar will be particularly hard-hit, the IMF’s World Economic Outlook warned, predicting a 6.1 percent slide for the Iranian economy. Qatar was tipped to drop 8.6 percent and Iraq 6.8 percent.