News

Iran said the world should be ready for oil at $200 a barrel as its forces hit merchant ships on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency recommended a massive release of strategic reserves to dampen one of the worst oil shocks since the 1970s.

The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as it has spread into Lebanon and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.

Despite what the Pentagon has described as the most intense airstrikes since the start of the war, Iran also fired at Israel and targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, demonstrating it can still fight back.

On Wednesday, three vessels were reported to have been hit in Gulf waters as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces had fired on ships in the Gulf that had disobeyed their orders.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has not committed to a timeline for military operations, suggested on Wednesday he was not yet ready to call an end to the war.

At a rally in Kentucky, he said “we won” the war, but the United States didn’t want to have to go back every two years.

“We don’t want to leave early, do we?” he said. “We got to finish the job.”

Trump said U.S. forces had knocked out 58 Iranian naval ships and that oil prices would come down and told reporters in Washington that Iran was “pretty much at the end of the line.”

“Doesn’t mean we’re going to end it immediately, but ... They’ve got no navy, they’ve got no air force, they’ve ⁠got no anti-air traffic anything. They have no systems of control. We’re just riding free range over that country,” he said.

STRATEGIC STRAIT

Trump said the U.S. would now “look very strongly” at the Strait of Hormuz, adding: “The straits are in great shape. We’ve knocked out all of their boats. They have some missiles, but not very many.”

Despite Trump’s words, there has been no sign that ships can safely sail through the strait, a now-blockaded channel along the Iranian coast that serves as a conduit for around a fifth of the world’s oil. An Iranian military spokesperson said the strait was “undoubtedly” under Iran’s control.

Trump said ships “should” transit through the strait but sources said Iran had deployed about a dozen mines in the channel, further complicating the blockade.
On Wednesday, the G7 group of nations - the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, Britain, Germany and France - agreed to examine the option of providing escort for ships so they can navigate freely in the Gulf.

ABC News said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had warned of Iranian drones potentially striking the U.S. West Coast, although Trump said he was not worried that Iran might launch strikes on U.S. soil.

The State Department also warned that Iran and aligned militias may be planning to target U.S.-owned oil and energy infrastructure in Iraq and warned that militias had previously targeted hotels frequented by Americans.

U.S. and Israeli officials have said their aim is to end Iran’s ability to use force beyond its borders and destroy its nuclear programme.Oil prices, which shot up earlier in the week to nearly $120 a barrel before settling back to around $90, rose nearly 5% on Wednesday amid renewed fears about supply disruption, while Wall Street’s main share indexes fell.

The war has seen ports and cities in the Gulf states, as well as targets in Israel, hit by Iranian drone ⁠and missile barrages.

‘LEGITIMATE TARGETS’

The U.S. military told Iranians to stay clear of ports with navy facilities, drawing a warning from Iran’s military that if the ports were threatened, economic and trade centres in the region would be “legitimate targets”.
With prices at the pumps already surging and Trump’s Republican Party trailing badly in the polls ahead of midterm elections in November, oil prices have become an increasingly urgent element in the calculations behind the war.

The International Energy Agency, made up of major oil consuming nations, recommended releasing 400 million barrels from global strategic reserves to stabilise prices, the biggest such intervention in history, which was swiftly endorsed by Washington.

Trump said the IEA decision would “substantially reduce oil prices as we end this threat to America and the world.”

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Trump had authorized the release of 172 million barrels from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve from next week.

The rate at which countries can release strategic reserves will vary and the amount released would ⁠account for just a fraction of the supply through the Hormuz Strait.

Iranian officials made clear on Wednesday they intended to impose a prolonged economic shock.

“Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilised,” Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s military command, said in comments addressed to Washington.

After offices of a bank in Tehran were hit overnight, Zolfaqari said Iran would respond with attacks on banks that do business with the U.S. or Israel. People across the Middle East should stay 1,000 metres from banks, he added.

At sea, a Thai-flagged bulk carrier was set ablaze, forcing the evacuation of ⁠crew, with three people reported missing and believed trapped in the engine room.

Two other ships, a Japanese-flagged container ship and a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier, were also reported to have sustained damage from projectiles, bringing the number of merchant ships that have been hit since the war began to 14.

IRANIAN OFFICIAL SAYS MOJTABA KHAMENEI LIGHTLY WOUNDED

In Iran, huge crowds took to the streets for funerals for top commanders killed in airstrikes. They carried caskets and brandished flags and portraits of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son and successor, Mojtaba.

An Iranian official told Reuters Mojtaba Khamenei had been lightly ⁠wounded early in the war, when airstrikes killed his father, mother, wife and a son. He has not appeared in public or issued any direct message since the war began.

Despite Trump’s calls for Iranians to rise up, U.S. and Israeli hopes that Iran’s system of clerical rule would be overthrown by popular protest have not been borne out.

Iran’s police chief, Ahmadreza Radan, said on Wednesday anyone taking to the streets would be treated “as an enemy, not a protester. All our security forces have their fingers on the trigger”.

Source: adaderana.lk

Indian airline IndiGo said on Tuesday chief executive Pieter Elbers has resigned, an abrupt departure following months of scrutiny over the carrier’s failure to plan properly for pilot rest and duty rules that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded.

The airline has a roughly 65% market share in India, the world’s fastest-growing aviation market. It cancelled 4,500 flights in December in what was the biggest crisis ⁠in IndiGo’s 20-year history. Regulators later reprimanded Elbers for “inadequate overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management.”

Though IndiGo only released Elbers’ resignation letter that cited “personal reasons” for the exit, the airline’s co-founder Rahul Bhatia, who will be in charge in the interim, referred to the cancellations in an internal memo he sent on his new role.

“What happened last December should never have taken place,” he said in the email seen by Reuters, where he also thanked employees for working tirelessly during the December crisis.

AIRLINE UNDER PRESSURE

Elbers, a former KLM Royal Dutch Airlines executive, had shared the stage with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi last year, basking in IndiGo’s role as the host ⁠airline for an aviation event.

The airline industry veteran had faced intense pressure in the weeks following the mass cancellations in December, after IndiGo admitted to misjudging the number of pilots it would need after new duty and rest rules that came into effect on November 1.

In the aftermath, India’s aviation regulator fined IndiGo $2.45 million and reprimanded several senior executives.

The airline has become hugely popular ⁠in India for its on-time performance and budget ticket prices. Under Elbers, the airline placed a large order for 500 Airbus narrowbody aircraft and dozens of widebody aircraft from the planemaker to expand its operations.

IndiGo’s shares have fallen 13.5% this year, due to ⁠the financial impact of the cancellations and more recently, disruptions arising from the conflict in the Middle East that led to large portions of the airspace being shut, compounding impact from an airspace ban imposed by Pakistan.

IndiGo has 440 ⁠aircraft in its fleet and operates mostly domestic flights in India. It also flies to foreign destinations like the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

Source:adaderana.lk

In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court has permitted passive euthanasia for 32-year-old Harish Rana from Ghaziabad, who has been in a coma for the past 13 years after suffering severe brain injuries in a fall. The verdict marks the first instance in India where a court has explicitly allowed the withdrawal of life-sustaining medical support in such circumstances.

The decision was delivered by a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan, who described the case as emotionally challenging while emphasizing the need to uphold dignity and compassion in medical care for patients with irreversible conditions.

Case That Reached the Highest Court

Harish Rana had remained in a vegetative state since a tragic accident left him with critical brain damage. Medical experts consistently maintained that his condition was irreversible and that there was no possibility of recovery.

For years, Rana’s life had been sustained through feeding tubes at a hospital.

With no improvement in his condition and the prolonged suffering involved, his parents approached the courts seeking permission to withdraw medical treatment and allow him to pass away peacefully.

After the matter reached the Supreme Court, the bench allowed the withdrawal of medical support in a hospital setting, effectively permitting Rana to die with dignity.

Clarifying the 2018 Passive Euthanasia Guidelines

The ruling also expands on the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment that recognized passive euthanasia and the “right to die with dignity” under certain conditions.

While the 2018 guidelines allowed the withdrawal of life support such as ventilators for patients in irreversible states, they did not clearly address situations where a patient’s survival depended primarily on artificial feeding through medical tubes.

The court observed that this gap had created procedural difficulties for hospitals in implementing passive euthanasia in Rana’s case. By addressing this issue, the latest judgment clarifies that such forms of medical sustenance may also be withdrawn under appropriate legal and medical supervision.

How Passive Euthanasia Works in India

Under Indian law, passive euthanasia follows a strict review mechanism to ensure safeguards against misuse.

First, a primary medical board of three doctors evaluates the patient’s medical condition and determines whether it is irreversible. If the board recommends withholding or withdrawing treatment, the case is referred to a secondary medical board for an independent review.

Only after both boards agree can life-sustaining treatment be withdrawn, typically with judicial oversight to ensure transparency and ethical compliance.

A Step Forward in End-of-Life Rights

Legal experts say the Harish Rana case could become a reference point for future end-of-life decisions in India. By clarifying the scope of the 2018 ruling, the Supreme Court has addressed a critical grey area in the country’s legal framework on passive euthanasia.

For Rana’s family, the judgment brings closure after more than a decade of legal and emotional struggle, while for the legal and medical communities it sets a precedent in interpreting the right to die with dignity under the Indian Constitution.

Source:adaderana.lk

Gulf states have been intercepting new waves of Iranian drones and missiles early Wednesday local time.

United Arab Emirates warned residents to stay in a safe location, with its defense ministry saying air defenses were “responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran.”

In the past two hours, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted six ballistic missiles heading for Prince Sultan Air Base. It has also intercepted a number of drones in eastern parts of the country, the defense ministry said. It earlier said it had intercepted ballistic weapons bound for the Shaybah oil field.

Sirens have been sounding in Bahrain this morning and the interior ministry has urged residents to head to the nearest safe space.

Earlier, in a statement, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said it had executed “multi-layered and continuous waves against US bases and (Israel).”

Source:adaderana.lk

Three people have been injured after two drones “fell in the vicinity” of Dubai International Airport, says the Dubai Media Office.

It says an Indian national sustained “moderate injuries” while two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national suffered “minor injuries”.

It adds that air traffic is operating as normal.

Source:adaderana.lk

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched its “most intense and heaviest operation” since the start of the war, according to state media.

Iran claimed its overnight attack involved missile launches, including its long-range ballistic Khorramshahr missile, against targets in Israel and at US assets in the region, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported.

“We will continue our sustained attacks with purpose and strength, and in the continuation of this war we think only of the enemy’s complete surrender,” the IRGC said, adding “The war will end only when the shadow of war is removed from our country.”

At a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US will not relent until “the enemy is totally and decisively defeated,” adding that this will be done on the United States’ timeline.

There were sirens in central Israel on Wednesday morning, after the Israel Defense Forces warned of missile launches from Iran. No injuries were reported.

Source: adaderana.lk

The research vessel R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, operating under the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is scheduled to reach Sri Lanka today (11) to begin a scientific survey within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The mission is being conducted at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government and will be carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources and the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA).

The survey will last for 32 days and aims to gather important scientific information related to marine living resources and ocean ecosystems. Data collected during the mission will help improve fisheries management and strengthen ocean governance in Sri Lanka.

Scientists aboard the vessel will conduct hydro-acoustic surveys to measure the abundance and distribution of key fish stocks in Sri Lankan waters. Additional research activities will include monitoring biodiversity and assessing pollution levels in the marine environment.

The mission will also facilitate collaboration between Sri Lankan researchers and international experts, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and scientific cooperation.

Sri Lanka previously hosted the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen in 2018 for a major study of the country’s continental shelf and upper slope. Earlier surveys were also carried out between 1978 and 1980 as part of the long-running Nansen Programme.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Sri Lanka’s participation in the latest mission demonstrates its continued commitment to sustainable fisheries, marine conservation, and international scientific collaboration in the Indian Ocean region.

Oil prices dropped this morning after the Wall Street Journal reported the International Energy Agency has proposed the largest release of oil reserves in its history to bring down crude prices that have soared amid the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

Brent futures were trading down 23 cents, or 0.26% lower, at $87.57 a barrel at 0023 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) lost 37 cents, or 0.44%, to trade at $83.08 a barrel.

Source:adaderana.lk

The UN Security Council is due to vote later today on competing draft resolutions over the war in Iran and its impact across the region.

The first measure - put forward by Gulf countries - condemns attacks on them and Jordan by Iran.

Russia - Iran’s ally on the council - has introduced a competing draft. Without naming Iran, Israel or the US, the text condemns all attacks against civilians and urges all parties to stop fighting and return to negotiations.

It’s the first action to be considered by the council since it held an emergency meeting shortly after the conflict erupted.

Addressing members then, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the Israeli-US airstrikes on Iran, and Iran’s retaliatory strikes on countries in the region were a violation of the UN charter.

Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani criticised the Gulf countries - accusing them of trying to reverse the roles of aggressor and victim through what he called a biased and politically motivated text.

The draft now has more than 90 sponsors - including the UK. It demands an immediate cessation of all attacks and threats by Iran against the six Gulf countries and Jordan, including through proxies. It also condemns any actions or threats by Tehran that would close or interfere with international navigation through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Source:adaderana.lk

The United States and Israel pounded Iran on Tuesday with what the Pentagon and Iranians on the ground called the most intense airstrikes of the war, despite global markets betting that President Donald Trump will seek to end the conflict soon.

Raising the stakes for the global economy, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would block oil shipments from the Gulf unless U.S. and Israeli attacks cease.

The Revolutionary Guards also said it fired missiles on Tuesday evening at Qatar’s U.S.-operated Al Udeid base and the Al Harir base in Iraq’s Kurdistan. 

Those launches were followed by drone attacks targeting a gathering of U.S. troops at Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates and Juffair naval base in Bahrain.

Early on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported another round of attacks was unleashed on U.S. military installations in Bahrain.

Waves of Iranian missiles also were fired at central Israel early on Wednesday. The sound of explosions from air defenses intercepting the rockets punctuated the predawn darkness as air raid sirens blared and Israelis scrambled to safe rooms and shelters. There was no immediate word of whether any of the missiles reached the ground.

US destroys mine-laying vessels as Trump warns Iran over Strait of Hormuz

The latest attacks from Iran roughly coincided with a new Israeli barrage on Beirut aimed at rooting out the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which has fired into Israel from Lebanon in solidarity with the Tehran government.

The White House on Tuesday reiterated Trump’s threat to hit Iran hard over moves to stop the flow of energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, where the war has effectively halted one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, and repeated his offer for the U.S. Navy to safely escort tankers.

“Today will be yet again, our most intense day ⁠of strikes inside Iran: the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever,” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing.

In a message posted to his Truth Social platform later in the day, Trump said, “Within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed” 10 of Iran’s “inactive” mine-laying vessels. He did not clarify where the strikes occurred.

‘LIKE HELL’

Tehran residents reached by Reuters described the war’s most intense night of bombardment.

“It was like hell. They were bombing everywhere, every part of Tehran,” a resident said by phone, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “My children are afraid to sleep now.”

In Tehran’s east, two five-storey residential buildings were hit on Monday, blasting out floors and walls and leaving a rickety concrete frame. Footage from Iran’s Red Crescent showed rescuers there carrying a victim in a body bag. Workers were still recovering bodies at the site on Tuesday when a missile struck a road intersection nearby.

Yet with Trump having described the war on Monday as “very complete, pretty much”, investors appeared convinced he would end it soon - before the disruption to global energy supplies caused a worldwide economic meltdown.

An historic surge in crude oil prices on Monday to nearly $120 a barrel was reversed as Brent crude settled back down below $90 on Tuesday. Asian and European share prices staged a partial recovery from earlier precipitous falls, and Wall Street bounced around its late February levels, before the war.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that the American public will see oil and gas prices drop rapidly once the objectives of the joint Israeli-U.S. air war are fully achieved.

A source familiar with Israel’s war plans told Reuters the Israeli military wanted to inflict as much damage as possible before the window for further strikes closes, under the assumption Trump could end the war at any time.

Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said the war would proceed until his country and the U.S. determine the time had come to cease hostilities, but that Israel was not ⁠seeking an “endless war.”

“We will continue until the minute that we, and our partners, think that it is appropriate to stop,” he said.

TRUMP PRESS CONFERENCE APPEARS TO REASSURE MARKETS

Iran has refused to bow to Trump’s demand that it let the United States choose its new leadership, naming hardliner Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader to replace his father, who was killed on the war’s first day.

But occasionally contradictory remarks from Trump at a Monday press conference seemed to reassure markets he would stop the war before provoking an economic crisis like those that followed the Middle East oil shocks of the 1970s. He said the U.S. had already inflicted serious damage and predicted the conflict would end before the four weeks he initially set out.

Trump has not defined what victory would look like, but on Monday did not repeat declarations that Iran must let him choose its leader.

Several congressional aides have said they expect the White House to soon request as much as $50 billion in additional funding for the war.

The U.S. used $5.6 billion in munitions in the first two days of strikes against Iran, a source familiar with the ⁠information said on Tuesday.

IRANIAN DEFIANCE

Several senior Iranian officials voiced defiance on Tuesday.

“Certainly, we are not seeking a ceasefire; we believe the aggressor must be struck in the mouth so that they learn a lesson,” Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted on X.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told PBS that Tehran was unlikely to resume negotiations with the U.S.

And a spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards said Tehran would not allow “one litre” of Middle Eastern oil to reach the U.S. or its allies while U.S. and Israeli attacks continue.

“We are the ones who will determine the end of the war,” the spokesperson said.

QUICK END TO WAR COULD LEAVE IRAN’S LEADERS IN PLACE

Ending the war quickly would appear to preclude toppling Iran’s leadership, which held large-scale rallies ⁠on Monday in support of the new supreme leader.

Many Iranians want change and some openly celebrated the death of the elder Khamenei, weeks after his security forces killed thousands of people to put down anti-government protests. But there has been little sign of protest during the war.

Fearing a revival of anti-government demonstrations, Iran’s police chief Ahmadreza Radan warned that “anyone taking into streets at the enemy’s request will be confronted as an enemy not protestor.”

“All our security forces have their fingers on the trigger,” Radan told state television.
More than 1,300 Iranian civilians have been killed since the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began on February 28, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani. ⁠He said nearly 8,000 homes have been destroyed, along with 1,600 “commercial and service centers” and dozens of medical, educational and energy-supply facilities.

The intention of U.S. and Israeli strikes is “to terrorize civilians, massacre innocent people, and cause maximum destruction and suffering,” the ambassador said.

Scores have also been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, while Iranian strikes on Israel have killed 12 people.

Iran has struck U.S. military bases and diplomatic missions in Arab Gulf states but also hit hotels, closed airports and damaged oil infrastructure.

In addition to the six U.S. soldiers killed at the outset of the conflict, the Pentagon on Tuesday estimated that about 140 American troops have been wounded. The Defense Department previously said eight U.S. military personnel had been seriously injured.

Source:adaderana.lk

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter observed tests of strategic cruise missiles fired from a warship, state media reported Wednesday, as North Korea threatened responses to U.S.-South Korean military drills.

Images released by the Korean Central News Agency showed the two in a conference room looking at a screen showing weapons being fired from the Choe Hyon, a year-old naval destroyer.

Kim watched the missiles launches via video on Tuesday and underscored the need to maintain “a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent,” KCNA reported in a dispatch that did not mention his daughter.

The girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and about 13, has accompanied her father at numerous prominent events including military parades and weapons launches since late 2022. South Korea’s spy agency assessed last month that Kim Jong Un was close to designating her as his heir.

KCNA said the missiles hit target islands off North Korea’s west coast. It quoted Kim Jong Un as saying the launches were meant to demonstrate the navy’s strategic offensive posture and get troops familiarized with weapons firings.

Kim Jong Un observed similar cruise missile launches from the Choe Hyon in person last week, but his daughter was not seen at that appearance.

Tuesday’s missile firings came after the start of the springtime U.S.-South Korean military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.

On Tuesday, Kim Jong Un’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, warned the drills reveal again the U.S. and South Korea’s “inveterate repugnancy toward” North Korea. She said North Korea will “convince the enemies of our war deterrence.”

The 11-day Freedom Shield drill that began Monday is largely a computer-simulated command post exercise and will be accompanied by a field training program. North Korea often reacts to the two sets of training with its own weapons tests. 

Source:adaderana.lk

Employees in the power sector who are currently participating in trade union action have been directed to resume their duties without delay, according to officials overseeing the newly established electricity companies.

The order follows the restructuring of the Ceylon Electricity Board under the Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Act No. 36 of 2024. As part of this reform, the operations of the CEB were formally transferred to several successor companies on March 9, 2026.

Subsequently, the management of Electricity Distribution Lanka (EDL) and the National Transmission Network Service Provider (NTNSP) issued a notice instructing employees to return to work immediately.

According to the initial transition plan approved by authorities, all former CEB employees have been allocated to four newly created companies and are legally required to perform their duties to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply across the country.

The management also pointed out that electricity services were officially declared an essential service through Extraordinary Gazette No. 2477/47 issued on February 28, 2026. Under these regulations, refusing to report for work can be treated as a serious offence.

Chief Executive Officers S. I. Kumara and N. S. Wettasinghe noted that a number of employees have been absent from duty due to ongoing trade union activities.

They emphasized that although appointment letters for positions within the new companies are currently being distributed, this process does not exempt staff members from their existing responsibilities.

The statement concluded with a warning that employees who continue to ignore the directive to return to work will face strict disciplinary measures as well as legal action under the regulations governing essential services.