Sri Lanka will treat Iranian sailors rescued from a torpedoed frigate according to international law, a Minister said on Saturday (March 7, 2026), following reports Washington was pressuring Colombo to not repatriate them.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told a conference in New Delhi that Sri Lanka was caring for 32 sailors from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena under Colombo's international treaty obligations.
India must ask U.S. why it is targeting Iranian ships in Indian Ocean: Iran Minister Khatibzadeh
The frigate was sunk by a U.S. submarine on Wednesday (March 4, 2026) just off Sri Lanka's southern coast.
Sri Lanka sent its Navy to rescue survivors and recover 84 bodies.
