Sri Lankan authorities on Friday said they had taken control of an Iranian ship and evacuated its crew, a day after it had sought an emergency docking request. The vessel, IRINS Bushehr, had sought permission to enter Sri Lankan waters on Wednesday, citing an engine failure.
What Sri Lanka said
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Thursday said the 208-member crew of the IRIS Bushehr will be disembarked at the Colombo Port, after which the vessel will be shifted to the northeastern Trincomalee Harbour.
Amid fears that the island nation could be dragged into the US-Iran war, Dissanayake said IRIS Bushehr was allowed to enter Sri Lankan waters on humanitarian grounds.
“We wanted to remain neutral while dealing with a humanitarian response,” he said. “No one deserves to die. Every life is precious,” the Sri Lankan President said.
Sinking of IRIS Dena
The development came a day after the US sank an Iranian navy ship off the coast of Sri Lanka.
The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which left India’s Visakhapatnam coast nearly two weeks ago after taking part in the biennial maritime exercise, Milan 2026, was sunk in a US submarine attack off Galle, in the island’s southern coastal town. IRIS Dena was located about 40 nautical miles off Galle when it was hit.
What the US said
According to US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the US submarine sank the Iranian warship with a torpedo strike in international waters.
IRIS Dena had a crew of around 180 sailors and was reportedly unarmed as it was returning from the naval exercise when it was struck by the US military.
Around 87 people on board have been confirmed dead, while Sri Lankan authorities have rescued 32 others. A search and rescue operation is underway for those still unaccounted for.
Since the start of the Operation Epic Fury on 28 February, the US claims to have sunk more than 30 Iranian ships, dealing a major blow to the heavily outnumbered and outmatched Iranian Navy.
“We’re now up over 30 ships (sunk), and in just the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone carrier ship, roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier. And as we speak, it’s on fire,” Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, which is responsible for US forces in the Middle East, told a news conference on Thursday.
According to him, destroying Iran’s navy is a core military objective of its ongoing campaign, and the United States is not holding back on its mission to sink the entire fleet.
Will the US-Iran war spread to the Indian Ocean?
However, the sinking of IRIS Dena was the first time that the ongoing US-Iran war played out in the Indian Ocean. The incident also raised fears that the war could spread beyond the Gulf region into the Indian Ocean.
On IRIS Dena, Iran said the Navy Ship was ‘India’s guest.’
What India said
India has reiterated that it remains neutral in the ongoing US-Iran conflict and has denied unverified claims on social media that American forces were using its ports to carry out military operations.
- The US-Iran conflict is extending beyond the Gulf region into the Indian Ocean, raising geopolitical concerns.
- Sri Lanka’s handling of the situation emphasizes its commitment to humanitarian principles amidst international conflict.
- The US Navy’s aggressive strategy against Iranian naval forces highlights the ongoing tensions and risks for maritime security.
