Lanka braces for fallout of Iran war

Enough oil in storage, says CPC, but it fears rising prices; tea exports to take a heavy toll if conflict prolongs
 

As air travel to and from remains curtailed, Foreign Ministry says it is closely monitoring safety of Lankans in West Asia
 

Sri Lanka is bracing for impacts on multiple fronts as yesterday’s joint military attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States and Iran’s retaliatory strikes aimed at US bases in West Asia threaten to unleash a wider war across the region.

Israel and the US struck cities across Iran, including targets in the country’s capital, Tehran, yesterday. Iran retaliated by launching missiles at Israel and at Arab states that house key US military installations – Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

National carrier SriLankan Airlines and private operator FitsAir announced yesterday that they were suspending flights to destinations in the region, as well as routes that require the use of the closed airspace. The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) stated that it has activated a special operational programme to assist flights and passengers travelling to and from Sri Lanka following airspace closures in parts of the affected region.

Read more in today's Sunday Times here