An Indian journalist asked Minister Vijitha Herath what the next steps will be regarding the 240 Iranian sailors who were rescued from two ships that capsized in the Indian Ocean and are currently being held in Sri Lanka. She asked this question during the Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi.
Speaking at the event, Minister Vijitha Herath said that Sri Lanka is committed to acting in accordance with international law in sending the Iranian sailors back to that country. He further said that Sri Lanka will act in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and international law in this matter.
However, Reuters news agency quoted the US State Department as saying that the US has pressured Sri Lanka through a cable messege not to send back to its country the Iranian sailors rescued from the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena.