New Delhi, March 6 -- As the conflict in the Middle East escalates even after a week of the initial US and Israel strikes on Iran, the IMF has spoken up. The International Monetary Fund has said it is ready to help countries that are facing balance of payment concerns amid the escalating conflict in the region, that has crippled economies over the past week.

Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director at IMF, said that she is expecting more demand for the agency's future programmes, especially because foreign aid is on the decline as well.

Around 50 countries already depend on the IMF to meet their balance of patment needs, Georgiva said in an interview with Bloomberg.

"We have some of our members that have significant balance of payme...