Iran has requested Sri Lanka to allow the warship into its waters for protection, with about 100 crew members worried they might face the same fate as the IRIS Dena, destroyed by a US torpedo on Wednesday.
A second Iranian warship carrying more than 100 sailors is approaching Sri Lanka, a day after a US submarine sank an unarmed Iranian frigate, killing at least 87 personnel. The situation has raised fears that the vessel could also become a target for the United States as the conflict spreads into the Indian Ocean, increasing tensions in a region close to India.
Sri Lankan minister Nalinda Jayatissa expressed concern over the development, stating that the Iranian ship is currently just outside the country’s territorial waters, according to AFP. Sources also told AFP that Iran has requested Sri Lanka permit the warship to enter the island’s waters for safety.
IRAN WARSHIP NEAR SRI LANKA
Sailors onboard worry that the ship might face a similar attack to its sister vessel, IRIS Dena, which was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine near Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was attacked while returning to Iran after taking part in two military exercises hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Sri Lanka has not yet issued a formal response, but President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held discussions with senior officials to consider Iran’s request.
Until now, Sri Lanka has maintained a neutral stance in the Iran conflict, refraining from supporting either side and calling only for restraint and immediate de-escalation.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan authorities are preparing to hand over the bodies of the 87 Iranian sailors who were killed in Wednesday’s torpedo attack. Around 32 crew members have been rescued, while search operations are continuing to locate other possible survivors.
“Most of those rescued suffered minor injuries, although a few had fractures and burn injuries,” a doctor treating the wounded told AFP.
TENSIONS RISE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION.
The attack on the Iranian warship, which was returning after participating in a peacetime military exercise, has further intensified tensions. Within hours of the incident, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed to avenge what he described as a US “atrocity at sea” and warned that it would lead to “bitter regret”.
Retaliation followed shortly afterward. On Thursday morning, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly targeted an American tanker in the northern Persian Gulf, setting it ablaze.
These developments suggest the conflict has entered a new and dramatic phase, spreading beyond the Gulf region. The confrontation has now extended to waters relatively close to India’s neighbourhood, raising concerns across the region.