US Pressure Strands Iranian Oil Tankers off Sri Lanka
Iranian oil tankers are stranded off Sri Lanka's southwest coast after the US pressured Colombo to cut off their supplies. The vessels, numbering around twenty, were tracked by the US embassy in August and denied support by local port service providers due to the risk of US sanctions.
Many of these ships have drifted deeper into the Indian Ocean, with food, fuel, and fresh water running short aboard. Shipping agents from Dubai have pleaded with Sri Lankan businesses to send out supplies, but representatives of Sri Lankan shipping companies say approval from the port authorities has become difficult to obtain.
The US embassy in Colombo ran a three-day session with more than 40 Sri Lankan officials on the risks of supporting sanctioned vessels. The workshop was attended by various government agencies and international partners, including the Atlantic Council. The State Department has stated that it will continue to disrupt Iran's illicit oil trade.