Galle:Colombo Sri Lanka has successfully repatriated 40 Iranian sailors who were brought ashore from stranded merchant vessels for medical attention.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the sailors returned to Iran on Saturday morning after receiving necessary medical treatment. The Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka reported that the sailors were aboard merchant vessels approximately 24 nautical miles off Galle when distress calls were made due to their medical conditions.

The Iranian Embassy in Colombo facilitated the evacuation process, while Sri Lankan authorities coordinated the transfer of the sailors through Galle port. Thushara Rodrigo, a spokesman for the ministry, emphasized that Sri Lanka fulfilled its humanitarian obligations by coordinating the transfer.

Reports indicate that nearly a dozen empty Iranian oil tankers remain anchored off Galle. These tankers are unable to return to Iran due to a US blockade and are situated in international waters, beyond Sri Lanka's 12-nautical-mile territorial limit. To monitor these vessels, Sri Lankan authorities have deployed reconnaissance aircraft and naval patrol boats.

In a related incident in March, 104 crew members of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena were killed, and 32 others were injured in a US attack off Sri Lanka. Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that the vessel was attacked on March 4 while returning from naval drills in India. The United States confirmed that an American submarine executed a torpedo attack on the ship. Following the attack, Sri Lanka launched a joint rescue operation, taking the wounded crew members to a local hospital after receiving a distress call.