Sri Lanka houses Iranian sailors after ship attack, faces US pressure

Sri Lanka is providing shelter and visas to Iranian sailors rescued after their ship was attacked. The country's court has ordered the bodies of 84 sailors to be handed over to the Iranian embassy, and a local political leader, Jamaat, signed a condolence book there.

According to a memo, the United States is pressing Sri Lanka not to send the Iranian crew and survivors back to Iran. Sri Lankan officials say they are trying to safeguard the lives of the sailors from a second Iranian ship and are holding talks on what to do next, as sending them home may take time.