U.S. respects Sri Lanka’s decision on Iranian warship incident

March 8 (Daily Mirror) - The United States has said it respects Sri Lanka’s sovereignty in handling matters related to the Iranian warship IRIS Bushehr and its crew.

A spokesperson for the United States Department of State stated that the final decision regarding the vessel, its crew and the rescued Iranian sailors rests solely with Sri Lanka, in accordance with the country’s domestic laws and international legal obligations.

The statement follows remarks by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who told a conference in New Delhi that Sri Lanka is currently caring for 32 sailors from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena under the country’s international treaty obligations.

The frigate was sunk by a U.S. submarine on Wednesday off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

Sri Lanka deployed the Sri Lanka Navy to rescue survivors, while authorities also recovered 84 bodies following the incident.