COLOMBO, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka has helped rescue 40 Iranian sailors from various commercial ships in international waters near its coast and assisted their return to Iran, according to a spokesman for the country's foreign ministry.
The foreign ministry received a request from the Iranian embassy, asking for assistance to rescue the sailors, as they were dealing with urgent medical issues, said Thushara Rodrigo, the ministry's spokesperson.
While no specific reasons for the rescue were provided, local media reports, including the Indian newspaper The Hindu, stated that the sailors were aboard ships that were oil tankers under U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. has implemented a blockade on Iranian shipping as part of its efforts against Iran.
The sailors from 19 different ships were brought to shore at Galle Harbour, located about 126 km from Colombo, and received medical treatment before heading back to Iran early Sunday morning, the spokesman added.
Sri Lanka's navy and coastguard usually assist in humanitarian operations, stated a government source familiar with the rescue.
Earlier this year, Sri Lanka rescued many Iranian sailors on humanitarian grounds after the Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk by a U.S. submarine's torpedo on March 4.
In mid-March, the bodies of over 80 sailors who died in that incident were returned to Iran. Additionally, 32 survivors from the sunken ship and 208 crew members from another vessel were repatriated to Iran in April.