Prolonged war, renewed disruptions pose biggest risk to Middle East region, IMF says

INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY

By Andrea Shalal BANGKOK, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Prolonged war in the Middle East and further disruptions to energy production, shipping routes or critical infrastructure pose the biggest risk to economies in the Middle East and Central Asia, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday. Jihad Azour, the IMF's director for the Middle East and Central Asia, told reporters the war was imposing a highly uneven economic shock to the broader region, with directly affected states under severe pressure