One-hundred and sixty-five girls and their teachers were killed in the strike, as were the Ayatollah his family and a number of military leaders he was meeting with at his residence. Additionally, the US and Israeli forces attacked densely populated neighbourhoods.
This led to Iranian retaliatory strikes on US bases and facilities in Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Today the US has dragged its war against Iran into the Indian Ocean. Days ago a US submarine surreptitiously attacked an unarmed Iranian frigate within our maritime economic zone outside the Port of Galle. Over a hundred Iranian naval personnel were killed in a shameless attack on a vessel the US knew was unarmed. Sri Lankan navy personnel reported they saw no other vessels in the vicinity at the time.
Answering a Mayday call from the stricken frigate, Sri Lanka’s Navy rescued around 30 survivors. It also picked up another 80 or more bodies of Iranian naval personnel. A second frigate carrying naval cadets also within Lanka’s maritime economic zone appealed for help to enter Lankan waters. Both ships were part of an Indian-sponsored naval exercise which was to include US navy ships as well. All vessels were prohibited from carrying live ammunition.
At the last minute the US withdrew from the exercise. It is then the Iranian frigate, while it was sailing back to its base at the conclusion of the exercise, was attacked. Being part of the same exercise the US was aware the Iranian vessel was unarmed and helpless. The second Iranian vessel, which was outside Colombo’s Port, requested permission to enter Sri Lankan waters.
The Sri Lankan President ordered the evacuation of Iranian naval personnel and took into custody the second vessel and had it towed to the Port of Trincomalee to ensure its security. President Dissanayake needs to be hailed for his bold decision to provide refuge to an unarmed and helpless people who were seeking help to escape two heartless enemies. It was sad to hear the raving and ranting of some Members of Parliament blaming Government for action/inaction, regarding a still ongoing explosive international situation. None of them seemed to realise that what little Sri Lanka did yesterday, left India hanging its head in shame.
The Indian Navy ultimately made a pathetic statement claiming it sent aircraft and ships to augment the search. The statement came hours after Sri Lankan authorities had carried out rescue operations single-handedly.
Both the US and Israel have attacked states and entities they believe provide support or refuge to their enemies. They often refer to them as preemptive strikes or self-defence measures. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria over the past decade, and the US has also struck facilities in Iraq and Syria belonging to groups supportive of Iran. For example, US President Trump threatened on Tuesday (March 3) to sever all trade with Spain after it refused to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran. “Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters as he met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. Trump also lashed out at Britain for not co-operating more in the US war against Iran. In Palestine’s Gaza, Israel has killed over 72,000 civilians including 20,000 children according to organisation Save the Children.
It was amid all these dangers in mind President Dissanayake responsibly took the decision to save sailors from drowning and subsequently to provide refuge to another 200 Iranian servicemen from a near certain death had they remained beyond Lanka’s territorial waters.
Once again despite all possible threats Sri Lanka has stood up for a humanitarian cause despite possible dangers posed from the world’s most powerful nation who could possibly take umbrage at the action.
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