The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vijitha Herath has held a telephone conversation with Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran in relation to the conflict in the Middle East and related development.

During the phone call, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed appreciation for the Sri Lankan government’s efforts in the rescue operation for the sailors of the IRIS Dena and for assisting in the transfer of the bodies of the crew of the IRIS Dena and other Iranian naval personnel back to Iran, according to the Iranian Embassy in Sri Lanka.

The Foreign Minister of Iran, while outlining the alleged crimes committed by the United States and Israel against Iran, described the attack on the IRIS Dena as an “unprecedented war crime” by the United States and stressed that the Iranian nation will never forget this crime, which constitutes a grave violation of the fundamental rules of international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and will employ all legal and political means to hold the perpetrators and those responsible accountable and bring them to justice.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Minister Araghchi discussed bilateral relations and regional developments, according to a communique issued by the Iranian Embassy in Sri Lanka.