Earlier, on 28 February, the United States and Israel jointly attacked Iran, after which Iran retaliated. The conflict later spread across the Middle East. At one stage, the strategic Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed, causing a sharp rise in fuel prices and a severe energy crisis, which also affected Bangladesh.

In response to the global energy crisis caused by the Middle East war situation, office hours for both government and private sectors were reduced by one hour in a cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister on the night of 2 April.

At the same time, it was decided that shops and shopping malls would close at 6:00 pm, which came into effect the following day. Later, the time was extended by one hour following requests from traders’ associations.