News

President Donald Trump was warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims on Monday that Tehran’s reaction came as a surprise, said a U.S. official and two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports.

Pre-war intelligence assessments did not say that Iran’s response was “a guarantee, but it certainly was on the list of potential outcomes,” said one source, who like the other two requested anonymity to discuss the issue.

The president twice on Monday said that Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait were a surprise, the first time at a Kennedy Center board meeting in the White House.

“They (Iran) weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East,” he said. “Nobody expected that. We were shocked.”

Trump’s assertion followed other administration claims that have not been backed by U.S. intelligence reporting, such as that Iran would soon have a missile capable of hitting the U.S. homeland and that it would need two to four weeks to make a nuclear bomb and would then use it.

Those allegations and an imminent threat posed by Iran to the U.S. and its forces in the region have been among varying reasons that Trump and some top aides have given to justify his decision to join Israel in launching their air war against Iran on February 28.

Trump was also briefed ahead of the operation that Tehran would likely seek to close the economically vital Strait of Hormuz, according to two other sources familiar with the matter.

Over the past two weeks, Iranian drones and missiles have struck targets in the Gulf states that have included U.S. military bases and an Emirates base hosting French troops, civilian structures, including hotels, airports, and energy facilities.

Iran has also halted almost all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of oil supplies move, causing global energy prices to spike.

Democratic lawmakers emerged from administration briefings on the war last week saying they heard of no imminent threat that required the U.S. and Israel to launch the war.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

WARNINGS OF A REGIONAL WAR

The U.S. official said that Trump was briefed before the war that striking Iran could trigger a broader regional conflict that would include Iranian retaliation against Gulf capitals, especially if Tehran saw those countries condoning or actively supporting the U.S. attacks.

Trump repeated his claim later on Monday during a signing event in the Oval Office. He was asked if he was surprised that nobody had briefed him about that risk that Iran would strike back at the Gulf states.

“Nobody, nobody, no, no, no. The greatest experts, nobody thought they were going to hit,” replied Trump.

The second source familiar with the matter said that before the U.S.-Israeli attacks, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that Israel’s plan to launch strikes aimed at killing top Iranian leaders likely would result in retaliation against U.S. military and diplomatic outposts.

The administration did not order departures of diplomatic staff from several regional embassies until after the air strikes began. 

The community also warned that Iran “could” widen its retaliation to American allies in the region, the source said.

Source:adaderana.lk

Amid the ongoing global crisis and efforts to reduce fuel consumption, the Ministry of Health has approved a work-from-home arrangement for certain government health sector employees on Wednesdays.

The directive was issued by Dr. Anil Jasinghe through an stating that the new system will take effect from this week and remain in place until further notice.

Accordingly, staff attached to several key locations and institutions are required to work remotely on Wednesdays. These include departments operating from the New Ministry Building on Castle Street, units based at the Anti-Malaria Campaign Headquarters in Narahenpita, the National Cancer Control Programme, and the Health Promotion Bureau.

However, essential operations will continue with necessary adjustments. Duties related to the Transport Division are to be carried out from the Suwasiripaya building.

In addition, officials responsible for issuing licences under the Food Control Administration Unit—within the Environmental Health, Occupational Health, and Food Safety Division—have been instructed to report to Suwasiripaya on Wednesdays, as directed by the Acting Deputy Director General.

The ministry emphasized that critical functions across these institutions must be maintained through suitable alternative arrangements. Other departments have also been advised to minimize on-site staff attendance where possible.

Authorities further stressed the importance of effective coordination to ensure that healthcare services across the country continue to operate efficiently despite the new restrictions.

Iran’s navy commander Shahram Irani warned that Tehran’s enemies would face retaliation for the killing of dozens of sailors after the IRIS Dena was sunk in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka.

“We will not forget the enemy’s crime, and we will exact retribution for the blood of our martyrs,” Irani was quoted as saying by Iran’s English-language broadcaster Press TV.

“The enemy should know that we will punish it with deadly strikes from where it least expects,” he said.

The IRIS Dena was sunk on March 4 by a US submarine torpedo off the coast of Galle while sailing in international waters after a joint naval exercise with India, killing at least 87 sailors.

Thirty-two were rescued and several others remain missing.

Source:adaderana.lk

All government schools across Sri Lanka will remain closed on Wednesdays until further notice due to fuel supply constraints, according to Nalaka Kaluwewe.the Education Ministry Secretary stated that the decision follows the government’s directive to grant weekly leave to public sector employees every Wednesday as part of efforts to reduce fuel consumption.

Meanwhile, Anura Kumara Dissanayake highlighted that these measures are aimed at managing limited energy resources while ensuring that key economic activities and essential public services continue without disruption. He made these remarks during a high-level discussion at the Presidential Secretariat focused on maintaining energy security under current conditions.

The meeting, attended by several ministers and ministry secretaries, reviewed immediate strategies needed to sustain public services during the ongoing crisis.

According to Prabath Chandrakeerthi, the Wednesday leave policy will apply across the public sector, including schools, universities, and the judicial system, starting from tomorrow (17) and continuing until further notice.

However, critical sectors such as healthcare, ports, water supply, and railway services will continue to operate as usual and will be exempt from the weekly closure.

In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers has appointed four key committees to evaluate the evolving situation and provide guidance on future actions to address the fuel shortage.

At least 400 people were killed and 250 injured in an air strike by Pakistan on a drug users rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, a spokesman of the Afghan Taliban government said on Tuesday, a sharp escalation in the conflict between the neighbours.

Pakistan rejected the claim as false and misleading and said it “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure” on Monday night.

The air strike came hours after China said it remained ready to continue efforts to ease tensions between the South Asian Islamic nations and urged both to avoid expanding the war and return to the negotiating table.

The conflict that began last month is the worst ever between the neighbours who share a 2,600-km (1,600-mile) border. It had ebbed amid attempts by friendly countries, including China, to mediate and end the fighting before flaring up again.

The escalation comes amid wider instability in the neighbourhood where the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation have plunged the Middle East into a crisis.

At the site, a blackened single-storey structure bore ⁠the marks of flames. In other places, buildings were reduced to heaps of wood and metal, with only a few bunk beds still intact in some, while blankets, personal belongings and bedding were strewn about.

“When I arrived (last night), I saw that everything was burning, people were burning,” ambulance driver Haji Fahim told Reuters. “Early in the morning they called me again and told me to come back because there are still bodies under the rubble.”

Ambulances and police vehicles were parked near the gate of the damaged facility, which a sign identified as a “drug addiction treatment hospital” with 1,000 beds, while security personnel maintained guard.

NO COLLATERAL DAMAGE, SAYS PAKISTAN

Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Taliban, said the air strike took place at 9 p.m. (1630 GMT) on Monday and targeted the state-run Omid hospital, which he said was a 2,000-bed drug rehabilitation centre.

“Large parts of the hospital have been destroyed, and there are fears of heavy casualties,” he said in a post on X. “Sadly, the number of those killed has so far reached 400, with up to 250 others injured.”

Rescue teams were at the scene working to control the fire and recover the victims, he added.

Reuters could not verify the casualty ⁠numbers and the Pakistani military could not be reached for comment outside business hours.

The Pakistani Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the Afghan Taliban claim was “misreporting of facts”.

In an overnight post on X, it said that Pakistan targeted military installations and “terrorist support infrastructure” including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban militants in Kabul and Nangarhar that were being used against Pakistani civilians.

“Pakistan’s targeting is precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted,” the post said. “This misreporting of facts as drug rehabilitation facility seeks to stir sentiments, covering illegitimate support to cross-border terrorism.”

FLAMES ENGULF BUILDING, MEDIA SHOWS

The Omid hospital ⁠was established in 2016 and has treated hundreds of people, also providing them with vocational training such as tailoring and carpentry to make them more employable, according to local media reports.

Overnight visuals from local media showed flames engulfing a single-storey building, while thick smoke billowed from another section of the same complex. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.

Fierce fighting between the South Asian neighbours, who were close allies earlier, erupted ⁠last month with Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds.

Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of its sovereignty that targeted civilians and launched its own attacks.

Both sides have claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on the other but independent verification has not been possible.

Islamabad says Kabul provides a safe haven to militants launching attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban deny the allegation, ⁠saying tackling militancy is Pakistan’s internal problem.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Afghanistan, said he was “dismayed” by fresh reports of Pakistani air strikes and resulting civilian deaths.

“My condolences. I urge parties to de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint and respect international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects such as hospitals,” he said in a post on X.

Source:adaderana.lk

French President Emmanuel Macron said he urged Iran to end attacks across the Middle East and called for restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.

In a post on X following the call, Macron said, “I have just spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.”

Macron said he called on Tehran to immediately halt what he described as unacceptable attacks carried out directly or through allied groups in the region.

“I called on him to put an immediate end to the unacceptable attacks Iran is carrying out against countries in the region, whether directly or through proxies, including in Lebanon and Iraq,” he said.

The French President also said Paris is acting only to defend its interests and regional partners.

“I reminded him that France is acting within a strictly defensive framework aimed at protecting its interests, its regional partners, and freedom of navigation, and that it is unacceptable for our country to be targeted,” he said.

Macron warned that escalating tensions risk destabilising the entire Middle East and harming civilians across the region.

“The unchecked escalation we are witnessing is plunging the entire region into chaos, with major consequences today and for the years to come. The people of Iran, like those across the region, are paying the price,” he said.

He added that long-term stability would require a new political and security framework addressing Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities.

“Only a new political and security framework can ensure peace and security for all.
 Such a framework must guarantee that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, while also addressing the threats posed by its ballistic missile programme and its destabilising activities regionally and internationally,” he said.

Macron also called for restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments.

“Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible,” he said.

The French president further urged Iran to release two French nationals detained in the country.

“I also urged the Iranian President to allow Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris to return safely to France as soon as possible. Their ordeal has gone on for far too long, and they belong with their loved ones.”

Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its naval forces carried out coordinated missile and drone strikes on four United States airbases at dawn on Sunday (local time), targeting key military infrastructure, Al Jazeera reported.

In a statement, the IRGC said the strikes targeted command centres, air traffic control towers and air defence facilities linked to US forces in the region.

“The IRGC Navy at dawn today, in several assault battalions, simultaneously struck four American terrorist airbases with precise and crushing blows,” Al Jazeera reported the IRGC as saying, adding that missile and drone units targeted multiple sites associated with US military operations.

The Iranian force also claimed that satellite imagery showed extensive damage to the targeted bases.

“In recent days, according to published satellite images, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have destroyed more than 80 per cent of the strategic radars, key and vital points of the American terrorist bases,” the IRGC said. 

Source:adaderana.lk

The US embassy in Baghdad has been targeted by a wave of drone and rocket attacks, according to reports from Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Iraqi security sources have told the latter that it was “the most intense assault since the attacks began”.

The embassy had issued a fresh security alert to US citizens in Iraq roughly six hours prior, where they warned that “Iran-aligned terrorist militias have repeatedly attacked the International Zone” in central Baghdad.

Source:adaderana.lk

China has responded after President Trump earlier, in an interview with UK newspaper the Financial Times, threatened to delay a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing doesn’t send help to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

When asked about the US president’s comments, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry says ‘‘head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations’’, before adding ‘‘the two sides have maintained communication regarding President Trump’s visit’’.

In response to a question about Trump calling for warships to be sent to the Strait, Lin Jian says that recent tensions have disrupted trade routes and undermined regional and global peace.

‘‘China reiterates its call for all parties to immediately cease military operations,’’ the spokesperson says and adds ‘‘we are committed to promoting de-escalation.’’

Source:adaderana.lk

Several U.S. allies rebuffed Donald Trump’s call on Monday to send warships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, drawing criticism from the U.S. president, who accused Western partners of ingratitude after decades of support.

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week with no end in sight. The critical Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flow, remains largely closed off, raising energy prices and fears of inflation.

The conflict has already imposed economic costs on U.S. allies, who were not consulted before the airstrikes on Iran and who have endured months of harsh criticism and bellicose threats from Trump since he returned to office.

A number of U.S. partners, including Germany, Spain and Italy, said they had no immediate plans to send ships to help reopen the strategic waterway, which Iran has effectively shut with drones and naval mines.

‘‘We lack the mandate from the United Nations, the European Union or NATO required under the Basic Law,’‘ German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin, adding that Washington and Israel had not consulted Germany before launching the war.

Trump, speaking at a White House event in Washington, said many countries had told him they were prepared to help, but voiced frustration with some long‑standing allies.

‘‘Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t,’‘ he said, without offering specifics. ‘‘Some ⁠are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me."

ISRAEL STILL HAS ‘THOUSANDS’ OF TARGETS IN IRAN

Israel said on Monday it had drawn up detailed plans for at least three more weeks of war as it pounded sites across Iran overnight, while Iranian drone attacks temporarily shut Dubai airport and hit a key oil facility in the United Arab Emirates.

Israel troops pushed into new parts of southern Lebanon, part of an expanding operation after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.

In a joint statement, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Britain warned that any ‘‘significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict,’‘ and that such an operation ‘‘must be averted.’‘ 

Israel has said it wants to weaken Iran’s capacity to threaten it, striking ballistic missile infrastructure, nuclear facilities and the security apparatus, and that it still has thousands of targets to hit.

‘‘We want to make sure that they are as weak as possible, this regime, and that we degrade all their capabilities, all parts and all wings of their security establishment,’‘ Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it would target U.S. industrial facilities in the Middle East and urged people living near U.S.-owned plants to leave.

Iran also responded to Trump’s threat that he might attack oil facilities on Kharg Island, the country’s main oil hub, if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces destroyed military targets on Kharg on Friday.

A spokesperson for the armed forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, ⁠said Iran would target oil and gas facilities in any country from which U.S. attacks were launched on Kharg Island.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had not asked for a ceasefire or exchanged messages with the U.S., according to Iran’s semi-official Student News Network.

In a post on X, Araqchi also said some ‘‘neighbouring states’‘ that host U.S. forces and permit attacks on Iran were actively encouraging the killing of Iranians.

He said 200 children were among the hundreds of Iranian civilians killed in U.S. or Israeli bombings.

Rescue workers in Tehran worked to pull people from the wreckage of a building in what an Iranian Red Crescent aid worker said was an entirely residential alleyway.

ISRAEL CLAIMS STRIKES ON IRAN’S SPACE PROGRAM

Israel said its air force had struck sites linked to Iran’s space program, including destroying a research facility in Tehran involved in developing a satellite launched in 2024.

One Tehran resident told Reuters that ⁠there had been no internet overnight and Iranians felt isolated from the world.

‘‘People are being killed,’‘ Shahnaz, 62, said via WhatsApp. ‘‘Just days before Nowruz (Iranian New Year, on March 20), but people are not in the mood to celebrate. When will this end?"

Asked if she supported the Islamic Republic, Shahnaz said: ‘‘No, I don’t. How can I? They killed my granddaughter in (January’s) protests. We want this regime to go. We want this misery to end."

In Tel Aviv, air raid sirens sounded late into the night, warning of incoming Iranian missiles and underscoring that, after more than two weeks of war, Tehran still ⁠retained the capacity to carry out long-range attacks. The IRGC said earlier that Iran had launched strikes on areas in Tel Aviv, the U.S. Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. naval base in Bahrain and Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa Air Base.

On the UAE’s coast along the Gulf of Oman, oil loading operations at the port of Fujairah partially resumed after an Iranian drone strike. Fujairah is a key exit point for the UAE’s Murban crude - a volume equivalent to roughly 1% of global demand.

Flights at Dubai International Airport, one of ⁠the world’s busiest, were suspended for several hours after a drone strike on a nearby fuel storage facility sent plumes of black smoke into the sky. Saudi Arabia intercepted 34 drones in its eastern region in one hour, state media said. No injuries were reported in either incident.

Despite the turbulence, oil prices , , which had been above $100 a barrel, fell and stocks rallied after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC the U.S. was ‘‘fine’‘ to let some Iranian fuel vessels through the strait, and believed Indian and Chinese tankers had also passed through.

Source:adaderana.lk

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but his appeals have brought no commitments as oil prices soar during the Iran war.

The president declined to name the countries heavily reliant on Middle East crude that the administration is negotiating with to join a coalition to police the waterway where about one-fifth the world’s traded oil normally flows.

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump said about the strait, claiming the shipping channel is not something the United States needs because of its own access to oil. Trump spoke while answering reporters’ questions as he flew back to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One.

Trump said China gets about 90% of its oil from the strait, while the U.S. gets a minimal amount. He declined to discuss whether China will join the coalition.

“It would be nice to have other countries police that with us, and we’ll help. We’ll work with them,” Trump said. Previously, he has appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier told CBS that Tehran has been “approached by a number of countries” seeking safe passage for their vessels, “and this is up to our military to decide.” He said a group of vessels from “different countries” had been allowed to pass, without providing details.

Iran has said the strait is open to all except the United States and its allies.

Araghchi added that “we don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans” about finding a way to end the war, noting that Israel and the U.S. started the fighting with coordinated attacks on Feb. 28 during indirect U.S.-Iran talks on Iran’s nuclear program. He also said Tehran had “no plan to recover” the enriched uranium that is under rubble following U.S. and Israeli attacks last year.

Countries are cautious after Trump’s call
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC earlier Sunday that he has been “in dialogue” with some of the countries Trump had mentioned previously, and said he expected China “will be a constructive partner” in reopening the strait.

But countries made no promises.

Britain said Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday discussed with Trump the importance of reopening the strait “to end the disruption to global shipping,” and spoke with Canada’s prime minister about it separately.

Aboard Air Force One, Trump specifically named Starmer, who he said initially declined to put British aircraft carriers “into harm’s way.”

“Whether we get support or not, but I can say this, and I said to them: We will remember,” Trump said.

A spokesperson for China’s embassy to the U.S., Liu Pengyu, said previously that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply” and that China would “strengthen communication with relevant parties” for de-escalation.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it “takes note” of Trump’s call and that it “will closely coordinate and carefully review” the situation with the U.S.

Expectations are high that Trump will ask Japan directly when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets him on Thursday at the White House.

France previously said it is working with countries — President Emmanuel Macron mentioned partners in Europe, India and Asia — on a possible international mission to escort ships through the strait but has stressed it must be when “the circumstances permit,” when fighting has subsided.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of Germany, which was not mentioned in Trump’s call, told ARD television: “Will we soon be an active part of this conflict? No.”

Meanwhile, emergency oil stocks “will soon start flowing to global markets,” the International Energy Agency said Sunday, describing the collective action to lower prices “by far the largest ever.”

It updated last week’s announcement of 400 million barrels to nearly 412 million. Asian member countries plan to release stocks “immediately,” and reserves from Europe and the Americas will be released “from the end of March.”

Trump didn’t directly answer whether his administration is talking about selling oil futures as a way to cap surging oil prices.

“The prices are going to come tumbling down as soon as it’s over. And it’s going to be over pretty quickly,” he told reporters.

More missile and drone attacks are reported
Gulf Arab states including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain reported new missile or drone attacks a day after Iran called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates — the first time it has threatened a neighboring country’s non-U.S. assets.

Dubai temporarily suspended flights at its international airport — the world’s busiest — after a drone hit a fuel tank and caused a fire. Civil defense crews contained the blaze and no injuries were reported, authorities said.

Tehran has claimed that Friday’s U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, home to Iran’s primary oil terminal, were launched from the UAE, without providing evidence. It has threatened to attack U.S.-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” if its oil infrastructure is hit.

U.S. Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim, and Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, rejected it. Gulf countries that host U.S. bases have denied allowing their land or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbors during the war, causing significant damage and rattling economies even as most are intercepted. Tehran says it targets U.S. assets, even as Iranian strikes are reported at civilian sites such as airports and oil fields.

War’s toll mounts across the region
Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf countries, most of them migrant workers.

In Iran, the International Committee for the Red Cross said more than 1,300 people have been killed. Iran’s Health Ministry said 223 women and 202 children are among the dead, according to Mizan, the judiciary’s official news agency.

Iran’s government on Sunday showed journalists buildings damaged by strikes in Tehran on Friday. A police station was hit and surrounding buildings were damaged. Some apartments’ outer walls had been stripped away.

“God had mercy on all of us,” said Elham Movagghari, a resident. Other Iranians are leaving the country.

In Israel, 12 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire and more have been injured, including three on Sunday. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed, six in a plane crash in Iraq last week.

At least 820 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to its Health Ministry, since Iran-backed Hezbollah hit Israel and Israel responded with strikes and sent additional troops into southern Lebanon. In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people — nearly one out of every seven residents of Lebanon — have been displaced.

More Iranian missile strikes hit Israel

Israel’s military said early Monday that Iran launched missiles toward Israel.

Earlier, several strikes hit central Israel and the Tel Aviv area, where they caused damage at 23 sites and sparked a small fire. Magen David Adom, Israel’s rescue service, released video showing a large crater in a street and shrapnel damage to an apartment building.

Israel’s military says Iran is firing cluster bombs that can evade some air defenses and scatter submunitions across multiple locations. 

Source:adaderana.lk

Air traffic operations have returned to normal in the United Arab Emirates after a temporary closure earlier on Tuesday, state media is reporting, as cited by Reuters.

Earlier on Tuesday, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) ‘‘announced a temporary closure of the country’s airspace amid rapidly evolving regional security developments’’, Reuters reports.

The GCAA has since said air navigation had returned to normal across the UAE’s airspace, state news agency WAM reports, external.

GCCA emphasised ‘‘that continuous real-time monitoring remains in place to ensure the highest levels of safety of air navigation.’’

Source:adaderana.lk

Brent crude oil traded near $105 per barrel on Monday as Gulf countries reported more attacks by Iran with the war entering its third week, while share prices were mixed.

A barrel of Brent, the international standard, was up 1.6% at $104.73, dipping slightly after opening above $106 per barrel. It’s up more than 40% since the war began.

U.S. benchmark crude gained 1% to $99.68 per barrel. It’s up nearly 50% since the war began.

In share trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to 53,609.49, while the Kospi in South Korea climbed 0.6% to 5,521.17.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.1% to 25,755.53 and the Shanghai Composite shed 0.7% to 4,066.40.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gave up 0.4% to 8,583.50.

Taiwan’s Taiex edged 0.1% higher, while India’s Sensex was down 0.1%.

U.S. futures climbed, with the contract for the S&P 500 up 0.5% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%.

On Friday, Wall Street’s losses deepened as the war again pushed prices above $100 per barrel, ratcheting up inflationary pressure on the global economy.

The S&P 500 fell 0.6% to 6,632.19. The benchmark index is now down 3.1% so far this year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.3% to 46,558.47. The Nasdaq composite finished 0.9% lower, at 22,105.36. Those indexes also ended the week with their third straight weekly loss.

Iran has retaliated against attacks by Israel and the U.S. by effectively stopping cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails. That has oil producers cutting production because their crude has nowhere to go.

In just over a week since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, more than 12 million barrels of oil equivalent per day have been taken offline, according to independent research firm Rystad Energy.

However a handful of tankers have reportedly passed through the strait, adding to uncertainty.

“The truth is that at this point, much of the market is operating in the fog,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. “For context, the strait normally handles roughly 25 oil and LNG tankers every single day.”

If the war continues to hamper the production and transportation of oil from the Persian Gulf, it could cause a damaging surge in inflation.

Members of the International Energy Agency are making a record 400 million barrels of oil available from emergency reserves, though it appears to have done little to reassure markets.

Higher expectations for inflation complicate the Federal Reserve’s efforts to bring interest rates lower to help the economy. The U.S. central bank is not expected to cut rates at its policy meeting this week.

A new snapshot of consumer spending Friday shows inflation crept higher in January, even before the Iran war caused oil and gas prices to spike.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that consumer prices rose 2.8% in January compared with a year earlier. But excluding volatile food and energy, core prices rose 3.1%, the highest jump in nearly two years.

Even so, consumers still lifted their spending at a solid 0.4% pace in January, with their incomes rising at the same pace, according to the report.

The University of Michigan’s latest gauge of consumer sentiment on Friday showed consumer sentiment declined slightly to its lowest reading of the year as gasoline price hikes since the start of the war in Iran.

Wall Street also got an update on how U.S. economic growth fared in the October-December quarter. The economy, hobbled by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, grew at a sluggish 0.7% annual rate, a downgrade from its initial estimate last month.

In other trading early Monday, the U.S. dollar slipped to 159.47 Japanese yen from 159.55 yen. The euro rose to $1.1442 from $1.1425.

Source:adaderana.lk