America informed us that Iranian ships are beyond Sri Lanka's maritime boundary.

The US Embassy in Colombo has informed the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the presence of several Iranian vessels in international waters beyond Sri Lanka's maritime boundaries. Foreign Minister Wijitha Herath stated that the United States has inquired whether local authorities are aware of the movements of these vessels and if they are being monitored.

The Minister commented on this information while participating in yesterday's media briefing to announce cabinet decisions.

Following that notification, steps were taken to inform the Ministries of Defence and Ports about this matter, and the Sri Lanka Navy is closely monitoring the relevant vessels, the Minister stated. He emphasized that these vessels are by no means within Sri Lanka's territorial waters and clarified that 47 vessels have been identified in international waters more than 24 nautical miles from Sri Lanka's coastline.

Amidst the military tensions between the United States and Iran, these identified vessels include several ships flying the Iranian flag, as well as other commercial and cargo vessels. However, the Minister further stated that none of these vessels have entered Sri Lanka's regional maritime boundaries.

None of these vessels have requested any facilities or assistance from the Sri Lankan government, nor has the government provided them with any. The Minister pointed out that it is a common occurrence for commercial and cargo vessels to remain stationary in international waters beyond countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia while awaiting their next maritime operations.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Wijitha Herath reiterated that apart from monitoring the movements of the relevant vessels, the Sri Lankan government has not intervened or taken any other action.