Colombo, October 25 (Daily Mirror)- Sri Lanka has repatriated 40 Iranian sailors after coordinating a humanitarian operation to bring them ashore from stranded merchant vessels off the coast of Galle and provide them with medical treatment.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed to Daily Mirror that all 40 sailors had received medical attention before being repatriated to Iran on Saturday morning (October 24).
"We rescued 40 sailors, provided them with medical treatment and repatriated them this morning," the Minister told Daily Mirror, referring to Saturday's operation.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sailors were aboard merchant vessels located approximately 24 nautical miles off Galle when distress calls were received over their medical conditions.
The evacuation was arranged and facilitated by the Iranian Embassy in Colombo, with Sri Lankan authorities coordinating the transfer of the crew members to shore through the Port of Galle.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Thushara Rodrigo told AFP that Sri Lanka had fulfilled its humanitarian obligations by facilitating the evacuation.
"We have coordinated the transfer and carried out our humanitarian obligations," Rodrigo said, adding that the Iranian Embassy had borne the costs of the operation.
The incident comes amid the continued presence of Iranian merchant vessels near Sri Lankan waters, with nearly a dozen empty Iranian oil tankers reportedly anchored off Galle.
The vessels have reportedly been unable to return to their home ports due to a US blockade, while sanctions have also disrupted Iranian maritime operations in the region.
Sri Lankan authorities maintain that the tankers are positioned in international waters, beyond the country's 12-nautical-mile territorial limit, where freedom of navigation applies.
Defence officials have said that reconnaissance aircraft and naval patrol boats have been deployed to monitor the vessels.
The latest humanitarian operation follows an earlier maritime incident in March, when a US submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in international waters near Sri Lanka, killing 104 sailors.
The Sri Lanka Navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors following that incident, while a second Iranian naval vessel subsequently sought safe harbour in Trincomalee.
Despite the wider geopolitical tensions, Sri Lanka has maintained that its assistance to Iranian seafarers is being provided on humanitarian grounds.