Iranian vessels came here as Navy Commander asked them verbally – Opposition MP

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana   

Making further allegations regarding recent developments in the Indian Ocean, Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake told Parliament yesterday that the Sri Lankan Navy Commander would incur blame for the Iranian vessel episode as he had verbally invited the ships IRIS Dena and IRIS Bushehr to visit Sri Lanka.   

“We met the Iranian Ambassador in Colombo on Thursday and he came up with many details on the two ships. It was the Sri Lankan Navy Commander who had verbally told the two ships to visit Sri Lanka. One wonders as to why the Navy Commander has verbally asked the two vessels to come to Sri Lankan waters. The government should seek an explanation from him and should remove him from his post if it is found that he had made a mistake,” the MP said. 

“India should have been allowed to accept the two ships as they were there for the International Fleet Review 2026 in Visakhapatnam. One wonders whether the responsibility was palmed off to Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government should be neutral and should not put its arms around anyone in the wake of the Middle East issue,” he added.  

He, however, lauded the government for saving the lives of those who were in the vessel Iris Bushehr. “A great disaster has been averted by timely action,” he said.