Sri Lanka Repatriates 40 Stranded Iranian Sailors
Sri Lanka provided medical aid and coordinated the repatriation of 40 Iranian sailors stranded by a U.S. naval blockade off its coast.
The Government of Sri Lanka coordinated the medical evacuation and repatriation of 40 Iranian sailors who suffered emergencies aboard merchant ships stranded in international waters. The sailors were brought to the port of Galle and Colombo on Saturday after issuing distress calls. Following medical treatment, the crew members were flown back to Tehran by Sunday.
The operation was facilitated by the Iranian Embassy in Colombo, which covered the associated costs. Nearly a dozen empty Iranian tankers remain immobilized approximately 24 nautical miles off the coast of Galle, unable to return home due to a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Sri Lankan military continues to monitor these vessels using patrol boats and reconnaissance aircraft.
Sri Lankan officials justified the intervention as a humanitarian obligation under international maritime law. This follows a pattern of limited assistance during a broader conflict that began in February with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. In March, the Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 survivors from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena after it was sunk by a U.S. submarine. While providing medical care, the government recently declined to send food and fuel aid to 19 other Iranian ships, citing national interests and the desire to avoid U.S. secondary sanctions.
