204 Iranian Navy Crew Evacuated to Colombo

Colombo – A total of 204 people from the Iranian Navy ship IRIS Bushehr were evacuated safely to Colombo Harbour, the Sri Lanka Navy said in a statement on Friday. Sri Lanka Navy Media Spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said IRIS Bushehr was scheduled to be taken to the eastern port of Trincomalee on the same day. IRIS Bushehr is an Iranian navy vessel that had previously participated in a maritime drill in India, the International Fleet Review 2026, alongside another vessel, IRIS Dena, which sank off the island’s southern coast following an attack by a US submarine on Wednesday, March 4. The ship had requested permission to enter Sri Lankan waters a few days earlier, and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the government had decided to grant entry on humanitarian grounds.