Former Sri Lanka External Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama  said that the government should seek a waiver on new international sanctions on Iran to ensure the latest moves targeting Iran wouldn’t cause a debilitating fuel shortage in Sri Lanka.

The war-time foreign minister said that Sri Lanka’s only oil refinery at Sapugaskanda was entirely dependent on Iranian crude oil.

Responding to a query, Bogollagama said that he had raised the issue with the Colombo-based diplomatic community recently and was told the ban wouldn’t be at the expense of those countries which couldn’t obtain crude suitable for facilities available to refine supplies.

According to him, Sri Lanka wasn’t the only country in the region affected by the anti-Iran move. India was now discussing the issue with the U.S., Bogollagama said adding that sanctions could cause chaos in the international market. India is Iran’s No 2 customer after China.

Bogollagama said that $750m Iranian credit line received by Sri Lanka to obtain crude supplies during the war averted a major economic crisis.