April 15 (Reuters) - Nissan's vehicle sales in the Middle East fell to about half of pre-war levels in March as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran hit car demand, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Overall sales in the region fell 40% in March, Guillaume Cartier, chief performance officer at Nissan, told the FT, adding that demand was down 40-60% in specific local markets.

"During the past month of March, we experienced a decline in sales against the backdrop of evolving geopolitical conditions," Nissan said in a separate statement.

"This temporary decline does not reflect our overall performance trajectory for the year."

(Reporting by Shivani Tanna and Rhea Rose Abraham in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Leroy Leo)