Sri Lanka on Thursday said it is deliberating appropriate action after a second Iranian ship has sought entry to its territorial waters, a day after a frigate belonging to the Islamic country was attacked near the island nation. Government spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayathissa was on Thursday responding to a query by the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa in Parliament about the second Iranian ship, located off Panadura, outside Colombo. The ship, according to Jayathissa, awaits in Sri Lanka's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) close to the maritime boundary but out of its territorial waters. Sri Lanka's territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from its coastline and belong fully to the country. Further, from 12 to 200 nautical miles is the EEZ, where international maritime laws apply but Sri Lanka mainly has rights related to economic activities, not military operations, he explained.

Source: The Telegraph March 05, 2026 09:29 UTC