Sri Lanka has taken control of an Iranian naval vessel and is transferring over 200 sailors to shore after the ship requested help following engine failure. This comes after a U.S. submarine sank another Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast, killing dozens and escalating tensions in the Indian Ocean.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan authorities began moving more than 200 Iranian sailors from their disabled vessel to land on Friday, after the ship requested emergency assistance while positioned in international waters near the island nation. The operation follows Wednesday’s sinking of an Iranian warship by an American submarine, which has heightened tensions throughout the Indian Ocean region.
Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath confirmed that crew members from the IRIS Bushehr were initially being transported to Colombo’s port, with plans to relocate the vessel itself to a harbor on the island’s eastern coastline.
“The process of bringing personnel ashore is currently underway,” Sampath explained, noting that the sailors would undergo health screenings and immigration processing before being housed at the Welisara naval facility, located approximately 12 miles north of Colombo.
Sri Lanka’s decision to assume responsibility for the Iranian ship follows Wednesday’s attack when U.S. forces destroyed the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in waters near the island. The submarine strike represents one of the uncommon occasions since the Second World War where an underwater vessel has successfully targeted and destroyed a surface military ship, demonstrating the widening reach of American-Israeli operations against Iran.
The destroyed IRIS Dena had recently taken part in multinational naval training exercises organized by India, involving military forces from 74 nations including the United States, which participated with surveillance aircraft and ocean patrol operations, according to India’s Defense Ministry.
Following the underwater assault, Sri Lankan naval forces managed to save 32 crew members while retrieving 87 bodies from the wreckage.
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi condemned the incident as an “atrocity at sea” and warned that America would “bitterly regret” the assault.
On Thursday evening, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake explained that officials chose to take charge of the IRIS Bushehr following consultations with Iranian representatives and the vessel’s commanding officer, after mechanical problems disabled one of the ship’s engines.
“We must recognize this represents an exceptional circumstance. When a vessel from one nation requests entry to our harbor, we must evaluate such requests in accordance with international maritime agreements and protocols,” Dissanayake explained to reporters Thursday evening.
In a Friday social media post, he added: “No civilian should die in wars. Our approach is that every single life is as precious as our own.”
Iranian state media had previously identified the IRIS Bushehr as a naval support vessel equipped with helicopter landing capabilities.
The situation illustrates how Iran-related conflicts are expanding beyond Middle Eastern boundaries into the Indian Ocean, creating a challenging diplomatic situation for Sri Lanka as it attempts to balance humanitarian duties, international maritime regulations, and its traditional neutral foreign policy stance.
Dissanayake indicated that select crew members would stay aboard to assist Sri Lankan naval personnel in steering the ship to Trincomalee, a port facility on the island’s northeastern shore roughly 165 miles from Colombo. The remaining Iranian sailors will be accommodated at a military installation, he said, emphasizing that Sri Lanka was maintaining neutrality while honoring humanitarian commitments.
“We have maintained a transparent position. We will not show favoritism toward any nation, nor will we bow to pressure from any state,” he declared.