{"id":17586,"date":"2026-03-07T04:31:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T04:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/srilanka.factcrescendo.com\/english\/?p=17586"},"modified":"2026-03-07T09:41:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T09:41:53","slug":"no-statement-from-energy-minister-on-oil-shortage-prevention-or-naval-protection-for-ships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/srilanka.factcrescendo.com\/english\/no-statement-from-energy-minister-on-oil-shortage-prevention-or-naval-protection-for-ships\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact Check: No Evidence of Energy Minister Promising Naval Protection to Prevent Fuel Shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Amid the ongoing war situation in the Middle East, a major topic being discussed in Sri Lanka is whether the country might face a fuel shortage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Media Posts:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The post claims that the Minister of Energy, Kumara Jayakody, had stated, \u201cWe will not allow a fuel shortage to occur due to the war in the Middle East. The Navy will be deployed to provide security for oil ships coming to Sri Lanka.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post has been presented in a way that makes it appear as though it was published on March 1 by the official ‘Newswire<\/em>‘ Facebook page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also appears that the statement has been shared from a satirical or sarcastic angle, suggesting that even if a war situation exists, a fuel shortage will not be allowed to occur and that the Sri Lankan Navy would provide security to oil tankers arriving in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Facebook<\/a> | Archived Link<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another social media user also shared the statement, allegedly made by the minister, in a sarcastic manner, questioning how the Sri Lankan Navy would protect oil tankers when even large warships are being attacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Considering requests from readers to verify the accuracy of this claim, we conducted a fact-check on the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact Check :<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A few days ago, the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran, drawing the Middle East into a military conflict. Reports also indicate that Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during these attacks, further increasing tensions in the region.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this situation, fears of a possible fuel shortage in Sri Lanka have led to long queues at fuel stations over the past few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was during this situation that social media posts began circulating, claiming that the Minister of Energy, Kumara Jayakody, had said that a fuel shortage would not be allowed to occur due to the Middle East conflict and that the Sri Lankan Navy would provide security for oil tankers coming to Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post’s resemblance to ‘Newswire’ <\/em>prompted us to investigate its official Facebook page first. However, we confirmed that no such post had been published there. We also checked mainstream media reports, but did not find any evidence that the Minister had made such a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Minister of Energy Engineer Kumara Jayakody did make a special statement on the 01st<\/sup> of March about the country\u2019s fuel stocks. He said that there is no fuel shortage in the country and that Sri Lanka has fuel reserves for more than a month in this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n