President Issues Official Statement on Fuel Crisis Management and Iranian Naval Incident

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake convened a special media briefing at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on March 5, 2026, to provide official clarifications on two matters of immediate public concern: the handling of the Iranian naval incidents in Sri Lanka's maritime vicinity and the government's approach to the emerging fuel supply situation.

On the naval matter, the President confirmed the Sri Lanka Navy acted strictly in accordance with its international humanitarian obligations in rescuing survivors from the IRIS Dena and interning the IRIS Bushehr crew. He stressed that Sri Lanka's actions were entirely humanitarian and non-partisan, communicated to all parties through diplomatic channels. Regarding fuel, the President confirmed that strategic reserves are at adequate levels to maintain essential services in the near term and that scenario planning had been underway since late 2025. He committed to regular public updates and dismissed opposition claims that the government was unprepared for the regional escalation.