Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the 208 crew members of an Iranian naval ship were evacuated on Thursday, a day after a U.S. submarine attacked and sank another Iranian frigate, killing dozens of sailors.
The Sri Lankan Navy will also acquire a second vessel and move it to the northeastern port of Trincomalee for protection, Dissanayake said. There are concerns that the vessel could be a target of attack.
“We are taking steps to save lives while remaining neutral and not taking sides in this conflict,” Prime Minister Dissanayake said in a televised statement.
“No one should die in a war like this. All lives are equally precious.”
The Sri Lankan Navy will board the IRIS Bushehr after it reported a fault with one of its engines, and the Iranian crew and cadets on board will be taken to shore for their safety.
Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fatali said the frigate Iris Dena, which was attacked on Wednesday, was unarmed while returning from naval exercises in the Indian port city of Visakhapatnam. trust in media in india news agency.
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