Sri Lanka sent home 238 Iranian sailors, including survivors of IRIS Dena
April 17, 2026
The Iranian ship has been anchored in the eastern port of Trincomalee port and no decision has been taken on what should be done with it.
Sri Lanka has repatriated 238 Iranian sailors who were stranded in the island nation following a major maritime incident in early March. The group included 32 survivors from the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which was sunk by a United States submarine torpedo attack on March 4 off the coast of Sri Lanka. The sailors departed on a chartered aircraft earlier this week, concluding a month-long diplomatic episode that placed Sri Lanka in a delicate position.
The IRIS Dena was returning from the International Fleet Review 2026, a naval exercise hosted by India, when it was struck. The Sri Lanka Navy launched a rescue operation, recovering 32 survivors and the bodies of 87 deceased crew members. The survivors were hospitalized and later accommodated at the Koggala air force base. The attack, which occurred in Sri Lanka's exclusive economic zone, brought a distant conflict to the nation's doorstep and resulted in over 100 fatalities.
Shortly after the sinking of the Dena, a second Iranian naval vessel, the IRIS Bushehr, also returning from the same naval drills, reported technical problems and received permission to enter Sri Lankan waters. Its crew of 206 sailors was disembarked and housed at a naval base near Colombo as a security precaution. The repatriation flight included these 206 sailors, alongside the 32 survivors from the IRIS Dena. A small contingent from the Bushehr's crew has remained in Sri Lanka to maintain the vessel, which is currently anchored at the eastern port of Trincomalee.
Throughout the ordeal, the Sri Lankan government emphasized its commitment to international maritime and humanitarian laws. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's administration stated that its actions were not a sign of military support for any party but were guided by humanitarian principles and international conventions. The government granted the stranded sailors 30-day visas and ensured their welfare while arrangements for their return were made. This stance was a careful balancing act, as Sri Lanka maintains important trade relationships with both Iran and the United States.
The repatriation marks the closing of a chapter in a tense geopolitical situation that unfolded in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka's handling of the crisis has been described by observers as a test of its non-aligned foreign policy. The government navigated pressure by declining a U.S. request for military aircraft to land while also providing humanitarian assistance to the Iranian sailors, thereby reinforcing its neutral position. The future of the IRIS Bushehr, still docked in a Sri Lankan port, remains to be decided.
Source: hindustantimes