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                    "On Sept. 30, 2026, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that U.S. officials threatened Sri Lanka with sanctions if it continued supplying around 20 Iranian tankers stranded off its coast. According to WSJ, the tankers are running short of food, fuel, and fresh water.\nSources in Sri Lanka\u2019s Foreign Ministry told The Diplomat that the U.S. embassy in Colombo and visiting American civilian and military officials have repeatedly warned Sri Lanka against providing the Iranian vessels with essential supplies, despite the potential humanitarian crisis. Sri Lanka\u2019s national security establishment reportedly objected to these demands and called on the government to convey its displeasure to Washington, as they are opposed to leaving the Iranian crew stranded and suffering.\nWith the WSJ report, the matter has now become public, restricting the maneuvering space of the Sri Lankan government.\nThe incident reveals the limits of sovereignty of small states like Sri Lanka that depend on exports to the Global North. Washington has considerable means to punish any resistance from Sri Lanka, and the question before Colombo now is how it can protect its economic interests while retaining the freedom to provide basic humanitarian assistance to friendly nations.\nForeign Minister Vijitha Herath has tried to distance the government from any private suppliers who might be supplying the stranded Iranian ships. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Herath said that the authorities had identified 15 Iranian vessels among 47 foreign ships outside Sri Lanka\u2019s territorial waters. He confirmed that Iran had requested essential supplies for the stranded ships but said that the government had provided nothing and did not intend to do so.\nHerath described provisioning the ships as a private business. Companies could make their own decisions, he said, after considering the possibility of U.S. secondary sanctions. Foreign Ministry spokesman Thushara Rodrigo told local media that U.S. sanctions apply globally and that these are not threats targeted at one country.\nColombo\u2019s caution has an obvious economic explanation. The Export Development Board\u2019s report for the first six months of 2026 puts the United States\u2019 share of Sri Lanka\u2019s merchandise exports at approximately 22 percent. The European Union accounts for 25.5 percent, with Britain providing another substantial market. These figures explain why Sri Lankan policymakers worry about disputes with Western governments.\nYet accepting every U.S. demand also carries costs.\nIf Colombo does not provide drinking water to hundreds of stranded Iranians due to the fear of economic punishment, it invites further U.S. interference in decisions that should be its own. Officials urging a firmer response recognize that Sri Lanka must sometimes express disagreement to preserve any freedom of action.\nIn the past, Sri Lanka has indicated that it is willing to risk U.S. ire on humanitarian grounds.\nAfter an American submarine sank an Iranian naval frigate, IRIS Dena, off the Sri Lankan coast in March, Sri Lanka rescued survivors. Colombo subsequently took custody of IRIS Bushehr, brought its sailors ashore and repatriated over 230 Iranians to safety.\nIndia\u2019s recent conduct complicates the decisions before Colombo. New Delhi presents itself as a regional security provider and has had a longstanding relationship with Tehran. Smaller neighbors expect India to take charge when external powers take military action in its backyard. However, when the U.S. sank IRIS Dena, India was nowhere to be found. Sri Lanka had to do the heavy lifting without any military support or diplomatic cover from India.\nIn recent years, India has grown closer to the United States and Israel. On the other hand, Sri Lanka has taken a strong pro-Palestinian stance and refused to sponsor a Bahrain-led United Nations Security Council resolution against Iran in March 2026.\nHowever, these pressures must not let Sri Lanka diminish its sovereignty. Economic dependence on the West makes exercising its sovereignty difficult, but surrendering its foreign policy decision-making to Washington now would gradually reduce the matters over which Sri Lanka exercises meaningful control.\nSri Lanka cannot afford a reckless confrontation with the United States. Its government must consider the Sri Lankan livelihoods that depend on Western markets. But protecting those livelihoods also requires judging which risks the country can bear. Treating every American objection as a veto would leave Colombo with little foreign policy of its own. Fear of U.S. pressure has already constrained Sri Lanka\u2019s willingness to pursue Russian oil and nuclear energy agreements or certain investments with China.\nThe government should convey its objections to American officials and allow willing private suppliers to deliver essential provisions to the stranded Iranian vessels. It should explain the risks to the public and defend its decision to prevent a humanitarian emergency.\nSri Lanka took a calculated risk when it rescued Iranian sailors in March. It must now show the same willingness to act before hunger and thirst endanger lives. Dependence on Western markets cannot become a justification for abandoning people at sea."
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