As Sri Lankan authorities said on Friday (6) that they were escorting a second Iranian Navy ship to a port and transferring 208 crew members to a camp, two days after a United States submarine sank an Iranian warship in the same region.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the island nation has a “humanitarian responsibility” as the war between the United States, Israel and Iran intensifies, causing turmoil in global markets and disrupting trade and travel.
The Sri Lankan Navy identified the second Iranian ship as the naval auxiliary ship IRIS Booshehr.
Second Iranian ship had engine problems
Iranian sailors were seen dragging suitcases and carrying bags as they disembarked in Sri Lanka, in images released by the Presidency’s Media Division.
Other photos show Sri Lanka Navy tugboats and vessels approaching the Booshehr, which Dissanayake said would be taken to the port of Trincomalee on the east coast.
“Around 15 crew members are still on board the Iranian ship to help with navigation,” a Sri Lankan government source said.
The ship was experiencing engine problems, according to this source and another government official. Both requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
The crew was taken to the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, where they underwent medical examinations and were then transferred in groups to a naval camp in Welisara, about 18 km away, officials added.
The Ministry of Defense did not comment on the case and the Navy spokesman’s office could not be contacted.
Iran thanks Sri Lanka
The Booshehr, which had been adrift in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone, outside its maritime limits, arrived in the region a day after the Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk following a naval exercise.
The Dena was hit by a torpedo launched in the Indian Ocean, about 19 nautical miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing 87 people on board and dramatically expanding the scope of the war between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Iran’s foreign minister thanked Sri Lanka for helping to rescue survivors from the ship.
“That vessel… was ceremonial, unloaded and unarmed,” Iranian Vice Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters in New Delhi, where he is attending a conference.
Both Washington and Tehran are important trading partners of Sri Lanka. The United States accounts for around 40% of the country’s apparel exports, while Iran is one of its main buyers of tea.
