The Socialist Alliance, comprising the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Democratic Left Front and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party, in a statement issued yesterday (02) strongly and unequivocally condemned the US and Israel for killing the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the latest acts of military aggression carried out by those two countries against Teheran.

“These attacks represent a grave violation of international law, an assault on the sovereignty of a United Nations member state, and a threat for uncontrollable conflict, which may escalate into a third World War,” the Socialist Alliance said.

Text of the statement: ‘The Socialist Alliance is alarmed with the growing military contacts between Sri Lanka and United States in evolving geo-political developments in the context of middle – east war and beyond.

“The Socialist Alliance condemns strongly the National People’s Power (NPP) government’s deepening military cooperation with the United States. The recent transfers of US naval and aviation assets and operational integration into US-led commands represent a dangerous abandonment of the country’s longstanding non-aligned foreign policy. It may lead to Sri Lanka being involved in US President Trump’s illegal aggression against Iran.

“According to the Ministry of Defence the United States has now provided a total of four former US Coast Guard cutters and 10 TH-57 Sea Ranger (Bell 206) helicopters to the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). These acquisitions have transformed Sri Lanka into one of the largest operators of former US Coast Guard vessels in the Indo-Pacific. While the government frames the transfers as enhancing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities, the vessels’ operational history and specifications are evidence of a darker purposes.

“The two high endurance cutters of the Hamilton class are offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) most suited for deep-sea surveillance and high-seas operations. They are not merely for coastal defense, the type being commonly deployed with US Navy carrier battle groups. They are designed for power projection and are being used to integrate Sri Lanka into U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operations in the Middle East.

The operational deployment of these assets has already begun. The Sri Lanka Navy has committed an OPV to the US-led “Operation Prosperity Guardian” in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, operating under Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153). This task force falls under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), which is commanded by a US Navy Vice Admiral who simultaneously serves as Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the US Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.

“This means Sri Lankan naval officers and ships now operate directly under US-led command structures. It provides the US with a Navy that can operate within its command framework, freeing US assets for higher-end missions, effectively making our forces a subordinate component of the American war machine.

“In a significant escalation of this integration, Sri Lanka assumed command of Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154) in January 2025. This multinational maritime training task force, operating under the US Fifth Fleet, is responsible for training personnel across the Middle East. This is not as a sign of national prestige, but a mechanism that gives the US-led coalition greater legitimacy and deepens Sri Lanka’s entanglement in American strategic objectives.

“This must also be seen in context of the recent signing of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the State Partnership Programme (SPP) between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Montana National Guard in November 2025, which is a pretext for embedding US military structures within Sri Lanka.

“This is not non-alignment. This is alignment. It is a complete subservience to the US Indo-Pacific strategy, making a mockery of the principles of sovereignty and peaceful coexistence that once defined our foreign policy.

“This alignment with the US poses an immediate danger, Sri Lanka risks being dragged into the illegal US–Israeli aggression against Iran, our long-standing friend.

“The Socialist Alliance calls for,

1. The immediate disassociation of the Government of Sri Lanka and the Armed Forces from the illegal US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

2. The immediate cessation of all joint military operations with US forces, including the withdrawal of Sri Lankan personnel from US-led commands in Bahrain and the Red Sea.

3. A full public disclosure of all agreements, including the India-Sri Lanka defence MoU and the recent US State Partnership Programme agreement, whose contents remain secret.

4. A parliamentary inquiry into whether these military pacts will lead to a full Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), potentially granting US forces access to Sri Lankan ports, airports, and military infrastructure.

5. A return to a genuine non-aligned foreign policy that serves the interests of the Sri Lankan people, not the geopolitical ambitions of foreign powers.

“The NPP government was elected on a platform of change, yet it is presiding over the most significant erosion of our sovereignty in decades. We call upon all anti-imperialist, patriotic, and democratic forces to unite in opposition to this drift toward war and the surrender of our national independence.”