New Delhi: Iranian navy ship IRIS Bushehr which sought emergency assistance from Sri Lanka has finally received evacuation support from Colombo. IRIS Bushehr had sought emergency assistance from Sri Lanka just 24 hours after an American submarine struck the frigate IRIS Dena off the island nation’s coast.
Confirming the presence of 208 crew members on the vessel, Sri Lanka Tweet, through its official X handle, early Friday morning, posted: “Sri Lanka Navy has begun evacuating 208 crew members from the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Bushehr near Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, bringing them ashore to Colombo.”
IRIS Bushehr, a logistical support ship, issued a distress call Wednesday after one of its engines malfunctioned, forcing the government in Colombo into a humanitarian position amid the joint operation of Israel and the US against Iran.
Sri Lanka stands ready to support every step toward peace amid escalating Middle East tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, as Sri Lanka allowed an Iranian vessel to dock on humanitarian grounds, stressing that no civilian… pic.twitter.com/ab7H8Lhiup
— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 (@SriLankaTweet) March 6, 2026
The confirmation of the second Iranian vessel within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone was made by Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, a minister and government spokesperson, in parliament. Initial reports carried varying numbers for the ship’s crew, but it was finally confirmed that 208 crew members, including 53 officers and 84 cadet officers, were aboard and later evacuated.
In a statement, Sir Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said: “Our position has been to safeguard our neutrality while demonstrating our humanitarian values. Our (Sri Lanka) intervention in a way that demonstrated our commitment to international conventions, protecting the reputation and dignity of our country, and protecting human lives.”
IRIS Bushehr received permission to dock only at the north-eastern port of Trincomalee as the docking of a vessel from a nation at conflict at the capital’s port poses a significant risk to the country’s maritime industry. The evacuated crew members are, however, being transferred to Colombo.
IRIS Dena was torpedoed near the coast of Sri Lanka while the frigate was returning from the multilateral MILAN exercise in Visakhapatnam, India. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has confirmed that a US submarine sank IRIS Dena with a Mark 48 torpedo, calling it a “quiet death”. He also said it was “the first sinking of the enemy ship by a torpedo since the Second World War”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the attack an “atrocity at sea”, warning that the US will “come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set”.
Sri Lanka continues to stress its policy of neutrality and non-alignment as it finds itself caught between two critical partners: Iran, from which it has purchased $250 million in crude oil, and the US, the primary market for its garment and apparel industry.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
Also Read: Another Iranian vessel seeks Sri Lanka’s help, day after US submarine strike sunk IRIS Dena