Today's Top 3 News: Indonesia Considers Oil and Gas Imports From Brunei, Russia

3 hours ago 12

March 18, 2026 | 08:33 pm

Menteri Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral Bahlil Lahadalia. Tempo.co

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tempo English compiled the top 3 news on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Here are the highlights: Fact Check: Video Claiming U.S. Aircraft Carrier Sunk by Iran Is AI-Generated; Israeli PM Office Refutes Claims of Netanyahu's Death: 'Fake News'; and Indonesia Considers Oil and Gas Imports From Brunei, Russia.

The following is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today:

1. Fact Check: Video Claiming U.S. Aircraft Carrier Sunk by Iran Is AI-Generated

A video posted on Facebook [archive] claims that the Iranian military successfully destroyed a U.S. aircraft carrier on March 4, 2026. The footage shows dozens of missiles raining down on the aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean, causing it to burst into flames.

The video shows plumes of black smoke rising high into the sky while several fighter jets parked on the deck are thrown into the sea. The narration in the video states that Washington’s flagship aircraft carrier sank after being struck by Iran’s advanced missiles.

So, is it true that a U.S. aircraft carrier was sunk by Iran's advanced missiles?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the content through image analysis and by comparing it with reports from credible sources. The results show that the content was generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

A Veo watermark is visible in the bottom right corner of the video, indicating that it was generated using Google’s Veo AI model.

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2. Israeli PM Office Refutes Claims of Netanyahu's Death: 'Fake News'

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the social media claims that he had passed away.

A correspondent from Anadolu Agency, as reported by NDTV, asked the office if they had a statement regarding the increasing claims on social media that Netanyahu had been assassinated.

“These are fake news; the Prime Minister is fine,” the office responded.

On Friday, Netanyahu shared a press conference video about the US-Israel-Iran war on his X account (formerly Twitter). In the video, some social media users claimed to have seen six fingers on Netanyahu's right hand, sparking rumors that the video was AI-generated.

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3. Indonesia Considers Oil and Gas Imports From Brunei, Russia

Indonesia is considering importing oil from a wider range of suppliers, including Brunei Darussalam and Russia, as the government seeks to strengthen energy security amid geopolitical uncertainty caused by the escalating Iran-Israel conflict.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the move is aimed at diversifying Indonesia’s energy supply and reducing dependence on any single country or region.

“All countries are possible. What is important for us right now is the availability of the goods, and secondly, price competitiveness. That is the most important,” Bahlil said at the Energy Ministry office in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

Reuters also reported that Indonesia is considering oil purchases from Russia as global crude prices rise due to the conflict in the Middle East.

According to Bahlil, the option to import oil from Russia has become more feasible after the United States issued a 30-day waiver allowing countries to purchase sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products stranded at sea.

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Today's Top 3 News: Video Claiming U.S. Aircraft Carrier Sunk by Iran Is AI-Generated

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