First, the Uma Oya project began in 1959 after a study by the United States Operations Mission and the Canadian Hunting Survey Corporation. The project was stopped due to funding issues. Iran decided to fund the Umaoya project, which started with a study in America and Canada, as per Mahinda Rajapaksa’s request. It was Iranian President Ahmadinejad in 2008 who decided to fund the Umayoya project.
Ahmadinejad, who was a staunch anti-American, liked Mahinda because of Mahinda’s anti-Western stance. Iran helped Mahinda’s government when Mahinda’s government was looking for countries to buy weapons to end the war against the LTTE. Also, Mahinda’s government requested a loan from Iran and Ahmadinejad agreed to give that loan. It was during this time that Mahinda’s government agreed to get funds for the Uma Oya project. Ahmadinejad came to Sri Lanka in 2008 to lay the foundation stone for the Umaoya project.
During Ahmadinejad’s visit to Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan media showed similarities between Mahinda and Ahmadinejad and showed both as fighters against American hegemony.
Ahmadinejad had to end his presidential term in 2013 before Mahinda lost the 2015 presidential election. In 2017, he announced that he was ready to run for the presidency of Iran once again. But Iran’s Supreme Leader decided that Ahmadinejad was ineligible for the presidential race. Again in the 2021 presidential election, Ahmadinejad prepared to contest the presidential election. Even then, the Supreme Leader of Iran disqualified him. The Supreme Leader wanted to bring the current president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, to the presidency. He tried to bring him in 2017 as well. It failed. But in 2021, his efforts were successful. Raisi became the president. These days, Ahmadinejad has been criticizing Raisi’s rule.
Mahinda has to watch President Ranil unfold the project that he started with funds just like Ahmadinejad is watching Raisi open the Umaoya project, which he laid the foundation stone for. Ahmadinejad cannot stand against Raisi because of Iran’s Supreme Leader-led political system. Because Mahinda made Ranil the president, Mahinda too cannot stand against Ranil.
However, America was watching unhappily the moment when Ahmadinejad came to Sri Lanka and laid the foundation stone for Umaoya, as well as the moment when the President of Iran came to open Umaoya. Mahinda, who had an anti-American policy, also understood this. He was afraid of the US sanctions on Iran and reduced the purchase of oil from Iran. President Ranil has also permitted joint maritime drills between US and Sri Lankan naval forces during the Iranian president’s visit.
Even if President Ranil does so to balance America, he does not know what is Israel’s position on the Iranian President’s visit. Diplomatic relations with Israel were started by Ranil’s uncle JR. The relationship between Ranil and Israel is stronger than the relationship between Ranil and the Middle East.