Govt.’s failure to take firm stand on Israel/US attacks

Sri Lankans are still processing what the fallout from Wednesday’s sinking of an Iranian warship off its territorial waters would be though there is little doubt it will have massive repercussions for the entire region.

The Sri Lanka Navy confirmed that it rescued 32 people after it received a distress call from Iranian navy ship ‘IRIS Dena’ early Wednesday morning and since then has been engaged in recovering  bodies believed to be those who were on board the sunken warship.

The ship had recently taken part in the International Fleet Review 2026 in India and was on its return voyage when it was sunk.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that about 180 people were on board the Iranian vessel, which he identified as IRIS Dena but officials here have been tight lipped about what made Iranian vessel sink but US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later confirmed that the US sank «an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters.”

This US attack in the Indian Ocean will no doubt be sending shockwaves across the Indian defence establishment. Sri Lanka on the other hand will be following in the footsteps of ‘big brother’ India, make a tepid statement and will sit it out hoping that the fall out of this will not make things worse for the country’s limping economy.

While on the military front Sri Lanka is certainly small fry, or a ‘hunduwa” (smallest measure of quantity in Sri Lanka) on the world stage as President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Tuesday, successive governments have managed to keep the country’s head high in the diplomatic front. But that seems to be going down the drain under the overly affable Foreign Affairs Minister who seems to have a ‘disease to please’ everyone and probably will end up pleasing a very few.

In Parliament yesterday, he refused to condemn the Israel/US attacks on Iran or at least go as far as some of the staunchest of US allies have done by stating that the attacks on Iran and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran›s spiritual leader is a violation of international law.  Instead, Minister Herath  seems to think that visiting the Iranian Embassy in Colombo and signing the condolence book would suffice in showing solidarity with Iran.  

Sri Lanka has for many decades advocated a non-aligned foreign policy. The National People’s Power (NPP) too has been parroting its intention of wanting to be in everyone’s good books internationally. For small nations, this  is a safe bet for survival but what’s unfolding today requires a better response than the one the government has given so far.

All that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said so far is this. “Sri Lanka calls on all concerned parties to exercise maximum restraint and to take immediate and decisive action to de-escalate tensions. All parties must refrain from further provocative measures to prevent the risk of a wider regional conflict that would result in severe humanitarian and economic consequences.” When a statement say’s ‹all concerned parties” it includes countries that are defending themselves against those who are violating their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This kind of statement is diplomacy cowardice. Iran has time and again stood by Sri Lanka including at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) when many other countries, including India at times, refused to stand with the country when it needed support the most.

Even though the US has admitted to sinking the ship in Sri Lanka’s backyard, it’s unlikely the Government  will have the courage to call out the attack or voice serious concerns regarding the repercussions such actions would have for Sri Lanka as well as the region as a whole. What we will hear more of are calls for restraint and non-provocative action. Fancy words yet meaningless but maybe befitting of a country which its head of state feels is too lowly in the global pecking order for anyone to take seriously.