Sri Lanka Rescues 40 Iranian Sailors
By Uditha Jayasinghe COLOMBO, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka coordinated the rescue of 40 Iranian sailors from multiple commercial ships in international waters off the coast of the country and supported...
Sri Lanka Navy personnel assist Iranian sailors during a rescue operation after responding to a distress call from their vessel, the Iranian military ship, IRIS Dena, while at sea within Sri Lanka’s maritime search and rescue region, in Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, March 4, 2026. Sri Lanka Navy/Handout via REUTERS
COLOMBO, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka coordinated the rescue of 40 Iranian sailors from multiple commercial ships in international waters off the coast of the country and supported their return to Iran, a spokesman for the island nation’s foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The ministry received a request from the Iranian embassy via diplomatic channels to rescue the sailors, Thushara Rodrigo, a spokesman for the ministry, said, adding they had been suffering unspecified medical emergencies.
The ministry didn’t give any further details of why they had to be rescued but local media including Indian national newspaper The Hindu reported they were on board vessels which were US-sanctioned oil tankers.
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