Sri Lanka monitoring 11 Iranian vessels south of Galle: foreign minister

Sri Lanka is monitoring the movements of 11 Iranian vessels operating in international waters south of the country, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said.

Herath said the vessels had been identified in waters beyond Sri Lanka's 12-nautical-mile territorial limit, south of Galle, and therefore remained outside Sri Lankan jurisdiction.

"According to the information available to us, there are reports concerning 11 vessels," Herath said, adding that authorities had not yet determined whether more vessels were operating farther away.

The Sri Lankan Navy is continuously monitoring their movements, he said.

Herath stressed that the Sri Lankan government, Navy and other state institutions were not providing the vessels with fuel, water, food or other supplies.

He said the vessels had not requested assistance from Sri Lanka.

As the vessels were operating in international waters, Sri Lanka had no authority to interfere with their movements, Herath said, noting that they were entitled to freedom of navigation.

However, Sri Lanka would be obliged under international law to provide humanitarian assistance if a vessel sought help because of illness, injury or another emergency involving crew members, he said.

Herath recalled an earlier incident involving an Iranian vessel in which several people required assistance, saying Sri Lanka had provided the necessary humanitarian support.

He said other countries, including the United States, were also closely watching developments involving the Iranian vessels.

Herath made the remarks while discussing regional maritime security and Sri Lanka's defense cooperation with India ahead of a planned visit by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

He said recent conflicts involving Iran had highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in dealing with security and shipping issues affecting waters around Sri Lanka.