Sri Lanka takes custody of second Iranian ship after rescuing crew

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the island nation is neutral in the US-Israeli war on Tehran, but that humanity must prevail.

Sri Lanka says it has taken custody of a second Iranian ship and rescued its 208 crew members, a day after the US sank another Iranian vessel off the island nation’s coast in an attack which killed at least 87 sailors.

The Sri Lankan Navy helped offload sailors from the second ship, the IRIS Bushehr, which had requested port entry due to engine trouble, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told reporters on Thursday.

Like the sunken IRIS Dena, the IRIS Bushehr had also participated in a naval exercise hosted by India in February.

Dissanayake said the Sri Lankan Navy decided to formally take charge of the IRIS Bushehr and its crew after discussions with the relevant authorities, diplomatic missions, and the ship’s captain.

While Colombo is neutral in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, it will not allow its territory to be used by any nation in conflict, Dissanayake asserted.

#WATCH | Galle | Sri Lankan Navy ship carrying rescued Iranian sailors docks at the Galle Naval Base, injured sailors being taken in ambulances

Video source: Sri Lankan Navy handout via Presidential Media Division via Reuters pic.twitter.com/iQmixMAMaI

— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2026

“As a nation and as a state, while safeguarding neutrality, we place humanity above all else,” the president said. “We will never hesitate to protect humanity. If there are actions that must be taken to protect human lives, we will not hesitate to take them under any circumstances.”

Tehran has warned that Washington will “bitterly regret” the torpedo attack on the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with NBC that attacking an unarmed ship is akin to a war crime.