Iranian tankers and navigating with a moral compass
Between the devil and the deep blue sea: by Sasanka Perera (The writer is on X as @sasmester) According to news reports, about 19 Iranian tankers are berthed approximately 15 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southwestern and western coasts since August 2026. They are void of their cargoes of crude oil, having offloaded them to […]
Iranian tankers have been anchored approximately 15 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southwestern and western coasts since August 2026, awaiting their cargo of crude oil to be offloaded to other vessels destined for Chinese refineries. These tankers are also found in Malaysian and Indonesian waters, as well as beyond, with Sri Lankan authorities stating they are positioned just outside the country's 12-nautical-mile territorial waters.
The U.S. has imposed secondary sanctions targeting Iranian shipping, making it difficult for Sri Lankan companies and the government to provide supplies or services to the Iranian vessels without breaking the sanctions. Many of these ships are low on fuel and provisions, leaving Sri Lanka and the world to grapple with the question of whether to allow the Iranians to starve due to fear of U.S. sanctions, even if they are immoral and unethical.
Sri Lanka has a history of providing humanitarian assistance to those in need, and must now face the dilemma of balancing its legal obligations and moral compass.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
