Sri Lanka is not helping 19 Iranian ships stranded offshore
World
19 Iranian ships have been stuck just off Sri Lanka's coast for the past several months, running low on food, water, and fuel.
They're anchored in international waters about 24 nautical miles out, and for now, Sri Lanka isn't stepping in to help.
Sri Lanka weighs US sanctions risk
Sri Lanka is walking a diplomatic tightrope. The country wants to look out for itself while keeping good relations with both the US and Iran.
Since its recent economic recovery relies on U.S.-backed IMF support, helping these cargo ships that carried oil to China from Iran could risk US sanctions.
To add another layer: these are commercial vessels, which some say gives Sri Lanka a humanitarian responsibility, but it's still a complicated call.