Sri Lanka has carried out assistance for more than 40 Iranian crew members from several ships stranded off its coast due to a U.S. blockade, affirming that the aid follows international principles and does not take sides in the conflict.
Foreign news agencies reported on 26 Oct 2026 that Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated medical aid for 40 Iranian crew members facing an emergency in international waters off Sri Lanka's southeastern coast. They were brought ashore for treatment in Colombo before being flown back to Iran late Saturday night.
A spokesperson for Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said officials received emergency medical distress signals from several Iranian ships stranded at sea due to the U.S. Navy blockade and coordinated a rescue operation with the Iranian embassy in Colombo.
According to BBC reports, about 21 Iranian ships are anchored off Sri Lanka’s coast. Sri Lanka emphasized that this aid complies with international law and humanitarian principles in response to the emergency and is standard practice, not indicating support for any side in the conflict.
Sri Lanka stressed its neutrality in the conflict, having previously denied military access requests from both the U.S. and Iran, and supports diplomatic negotiations to end the war.
This is not Sri Lanka’s first humanitarian aid to Iranian vessels. For instance, after the Iranian ship "Iris Dena" was torpedoed and sunk by the U.S. in March, Sri Lanka rescued and treated surviving crew members and allowed another Iranian ship to dock for humanitarian reasons.
However, some Iranian ships had previously faced shortages of food, water, and fuel. Sri Lanka, amid a severe economic crisis, stated it must prioritize national interests and currently has no plans to supply aid provisions.
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Source:bbc