Sri Lanka and Iran: The 2030 Nuclear Power Plant and Iranian Support

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#3331, 11 February 2011
Sri Lanka and Iran: The 2030 Nuclear Power Plant and Iranian Support Lydia Walker Research Intern, IPCS email: lydia@ipcs.org In September, Sri Lanka announced its plan to build its first nuclear power plant within the next 20 years. The Sri Lankan Secretary of the Ministry of Power and Energy said that they would get safety approval from the International Atomic Energy Authority. He did not mention what role Iran - a staunch, historic ally and the island nation’s main energy supplier - would play in Sri Lanka’s nuclear ambitions. A 2007 US Department of State cable leaked by WikiLeaks disclosed that the US had warned Sri Lanka to be cautious about its tight economic relationship with Iran and to stop its arms purchases from that nation. Are Sri Lankan nuclear energy ambitions a sign of it seeking a measure of independence from Iranian oil, or is it an expression of increased solidarity with an incipient nuclear Iran? In 2007, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka urged Sri Lanka "to be very scrupulous" in entering into any new trade or investment deals with Iran. Might Sri Lankan-Iranian relations undergo a change if Iran goes nuclear?

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Lydia Walker