A spokesperson for the State Department said the final decision regarding the vessels, their crews and the Iranian sailors rescued at sea rests solely with Sri Lanka, in accordance with the country’s domestic laws and international legal obligations.
The remarks came after Vijitha Herath said at a conference in New Delhi that Sri Lanka was caring for 32 sailors rescued from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena under the country’s international treaty obligations.
The IRIS Dena was sunk by a U.S. submarine on Wednesday off Sri Lanka’s southern coast. The Sri Lanka Navy subsequently launched a rescue operation, saving several survivors and recovering the bodies of 84 sailors.
Sri Lanka also provided safe haven to the second Iranian warship, IRIS Bushehr, and evacuated its 219 crew members a day after the Dena was torpedoed. The vessel was later taken to Trincomalee after reporting engine trouble.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Washington had pressed Sri Lanka not to repatriate the Iranian sailors, citing an internal State Department cable.
Responding to the report, the U.S. State Department spokesperson said the disposition of the IRIS Bushehr crew and the rescued Iranian sailors remains a matter for Sri Lanka to decide.
