Iranian tanker crew receives emergency care in Sri Lanka amid US sanctions

Sri Lankan officials said more than 40 Iranian sailors from oil tankers under US sanctions were taken ashore at Galle, about 115 km south of Colombo, to obtain urgent medical assistance. Foreign Ministry spokesman Thushara Rodrigo stated the transfer was coordinated as a humanitarian effort, with the Iranian embassy paying the costs. The move follows a March US submarine strike that sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, killing 104 crew members; Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 of those sailors.

A second Iranian naval craft has sought safe harbour in Trincomalee. Nearly a dozen empty Iranian tankers linger near Galle, but Sri Lanka maintains they are in international waters and has deployed reconnaissance aircraft and patrol boats to monitor the area. Many Iranian merchant vessels have rerouted toward the Strait of Malacca and Singapore due to the US blockade, while a few remain near Sri Lankan waters.