The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its 2026 global growth projection, warning that the world economy could be “thrown off course” by the war in the Middle East, as the conflict roils commodity markets and sparks higher prices, AFP reports.

The global economy is set to grow by 3.1 per cent this year, down from 3.3pc expected in January, the IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook report.

Growth in the world’s biggest economy, the United States, has also been revised slightly lower because of the war, with US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompting Tehran’s retaliation.