New Delhi, April 1 -- Haiti's government announced new austerity measures on Tuesday as the war in Iran disrupts critical oil supplies and drives up prices worldwide.

Officials in the troubled Caribbean country imposed a ban on the purchase of any new vehicles, will reduce fuel expenditures for public institutions and said that foreign travel will be limited to essential missions authorized by the prime minister.

In addition, security escorts will be limited to one vehicle in a country where gangs control an estimated 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and swaths of rural areas.

A statement signed by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime said that the measures will allow the government "to anticipate serious repercussions on the alread...