Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed has assured that the Maldives will not face a shortage of basic food, oil and gas due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Speaking at a press conference today (March 3), Saeed said the government would ensure uninterrupted access to basic goods for the Maldives.

"First of all, rice, sugar and flour will not become expensive. That is guaranteed. I assure the people that we will get staple foods without interruption," Saeed said. "Food, fuel and any commodity, we will hopefully not face any challenges."

He also spoke about the impact of the war on tourism and said efforts were being made to mitigate the damage.

"The Maldives is dependent on tourism. Tourism is the biggest pillar of the economy. Not only now. Our modern economy has been dependent on tourism since the beginning. Then there are other industries around it," Saeed said. "However, the world believes that although tourism is the most popular industry, it is also the industry that faces the first impact."

The minister said the industry has revived quickly despite the previous disasters, such as the tsunami in 2004.

"In that sense, the Maldives is a very resilient country. That is the best news we have."

The war in the Middle East began when the United States and Israel joined forces to attack Iran. Iran has been carrying out retaliatory attacks targeting US bases in neighbouring Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and the UAE.