Egypt will likely try to avoid submitting to another International Monetary Fund loan program, but increasing economic strain may eventually necessitate one, which would likely lead to domestically unpopular austerity measures and privatization efforts. Egyptian news outlet Al Manassa reported on April 9 that Egypt is considering seeking a $1.5 billion-$3 billion emergency loan program from the International Monetary Fund due to the economic impact of the Iran war. The media report, which cited unnamed Cabinet and finance ministry officials, came days after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly and Central Bank of Egypt Gov. Hassan Abdalla on April 6 to discuss Egypt's economy. During the meeting, Abdalla said Cairo had sufficient foreign exchange reserves to cover Egypt's import bill for at least four months, accounting for cost increases due to the global economic shock and shipping disruptions linked to the Iran war....
