Sri Lanka said it had returned 40 Iranian sailors from 19 ships to Iran after they were rescued.

Sri Lanka said it had returned 40 Iranian sailors from 19 ships to Iran after they were rescued.

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman announced on Sunday, November 3 that this country has returned to Iran 40 Iranian sailors from several commercial ships in international waters near its shores.

Tushara Rodrigo, the spokeswoman for this office, said that the Iranian embassy had submitted a request to rescue the sailors through diplomatic channels. The sailors experienced medical emergencies, he said, but did not specify the nature of the problems.

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry did not elaborate further on the reason for the rescue of the sailors, but some local media reported that they were on ships that are oil tankers subject to US sanctions.

According to a spokesman for Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sailors belonging to 19 ships were transferred to the port of Galle in that country. After receiving medical service, they returned to Iran on Sunday morning.

A Sri Lankan government source with direct knowledge of the details of the rescue operation told Reuters that the country's navy and coast guard usually provide support for humanitarian operations.

Earlier this year, Sri Lanka rescued dozens of Iranian sailors for humanitarian reasons. This action was taken after the Iranian warship "Dana" sank several days after the beginning of the 40-day war due to a torpedo fired from an American submarine.

The bodies of more than 80 sailors killed in this ground attack were transferred to Iran at the end of last March. Also, 32 survivors of the sunken ship and 208 crew members of another vessel re-embarked to Iran in Pravardinima.