Iran’s stranded sailors wait out the war in Sri Lanka amid US pressure

Just as Sri Lanka thought it had bought some time with a one-month visa for the Iranian sailors it rescued, another of Iran’s warships appeared offshore, deepening Colombo’s struggle to stay out of a war that keeps washing up on its doorstep.The vessel was detected nine nautical miles (17km) off the coast on Tuesday, a week after a US submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena and damaged the IRIS Bushehr off the southern port of Galle on March 4.Sri Lanka now hosts hundreds of Iranian naval personnel it pulled from the sea – with no clear plan for sending them home.At least two of the Iranian vessels had earlier taken part in a naval exercise organised by India when the attack occurred. Sri Lanka’s navy moved quickly to rescue survivors and recover bodies from the sea.Sri Lanka Navy personnel assist Iranian sailors from the IRIS Dena after responding to a distress call on March 4. Photo: Sri Lanka Navy/ReutersOn Sunday, Colombo announced it would issue one-month humanitarian visas to the sailors. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said the decision strictly adhered to international maritime conventions and was in keeping with Sri Lanka’s non-aligned policy, allowing the government to meet its humanitarian obligations without appearing to take sides.