06.03.2026 00:47
Sri Lanka announced that there is a second ship belonging to Iran in nearby waters following the sinking of an Iranian warship by the United States off the coast of the island. Sri Lankan authorities stated that the ship was not allowed to dock and noted that only humanitarian aid was being provided.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Sri Lanka's Cabinet Spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa stated that the second Iranian ship located in international waters near the island was not allowed to dock, but some humanitarian aid was provided.
SRI LANKA DOES NOT ALLOW IRANIAN SHIP TO DOCK
Two Sri Lankan officials, whose names were not disclosed, noted that the ship was approximately 30 kilometers south of the country's capital, Colombo, and requested permission to dock on Wednesday.
According to local media reports, Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake later stated that following discussions with the relevant authorities, it was decided that the crew of the ship named "Iris Bushehr" would be brought to Colombo.
OPERATION LAUNCHED FOR CREW EVACUATION
Dissanayake reported that an operation had been launched for the evacuation of the 208-member crew, expressing that the ship would be taken to the Trincomalee Port area instead of Colombo Port due to "commercial sensitivities." Dissanayake emphasized that Sri Lanka was conducting the process within the framework of international law as a neutral country.
USA HAD SUNK IRANIAN SHIP
The Sri Lanka Navy confirmed yesterday that the Iranian Navy's "IRIS Dena," which had issued a "distress" call off the coast of Galle, had sunk in the Indian Ocean.
Authorities announced that the ship sank after making an emergency distress call, and a large-scale operation was launched for the evacuation of the crew.
87 PEOPLE HAD DIED
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath stated that the bodies of 87 individuals from the sunken ship had been recovered. Navy Spokesperson Buddhika Sampath noted that 32 of the 180 people on board the ship were rescued and treated in the hospital, stating, "When we arrived at the scene, there was no trace of the ship. We found people floating in the water."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had announced that the Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka was sunk by a torpedo launched from a submarine.