Spanish PM Warns of Food Crisis Risks from Middle East Conflict

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned of the risk of a food crisis due to conflicts in the Middle East that are beginning to have an impact on the global economy, in a letter to members of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).

"We have been living in an open war in the Middle East for a month: more than 2,000 people have been killed, four million people have been forced to flee, supply chains have been disrupted, oil and gas prices have risen sharply, and a food crisis looms," he said, quoted by ANTARA from Sputnik, Monday, March 30.

Sanchez said the surge in energy prices and supply chain disruptions had increased pressure on global markets.

Spain from the beginning opposed the war, he said, urging that the war be stopped immediately and the public protected from the economic impact.

In March, energy prices soared amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was almost halted after the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, which has so far killed more than 1,340 people.

The Strait of Hormuz is the main route for the delivery of energy commodities from Persian Gulf countries to global markets, accounting for about 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas trade.