President Anura Kumara Dissanayake informed Parliament today that Sri Lanka received simultaneous requests from Iran and the United States to dock naval vessels in the country, but permission was refused for both in order to maintain neutrality amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.
He explained that three Iranian Navy ships had first sought approval on February 26 for a goodwill visit from March 9–13. Later that same evening, the U.S. requested clearance for two warships to visit Mattala.
“If permission was granted, then we would be blamed for picking one over another. Granting permission would bring the Middle East war to Mattala and Colombo. We avoided that,” the President said.
Addressing opposition claims that the government took 11 hours to grant permission for the Iranian vessels, he clarified that the timeline was linked to the original request date and subsequent developments.
President Dissanayake revealed that after the attack on the first Iranian ship, a second vessel requested entry to Colombo due to engine trouble.
“We are only able to provide assistance for 24‑hours per regulations. Beyond that, the vessel would have come fully under our responsibility. Once that happened, we instructed the crew to disembark, though they insisted on remaining onboard,” he said.
The President noted that 206 sailors were brought to a Navy camp, adding that the bodies of deceased soldiers from the first Iranian ship were preserved, and rescued personnel were treated.
He stressed that Sri Lanka’s refusal to allow either side’s warships was a deliberate decision to prevent the conflict from spilling into the country’s ports. (Newswire)