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Sri Lanka will grant free one-month visas to Iranian sailors rescued from distressed naval vessels in the Indian Ocean, allowing them to remain in the island under humanitarian protection, amidst reported US pressure not to repatriate the crew to Iran.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala confirmed that the temporary visas would be issued to survivors brought to Sri Lanka following maritime incidents involving Iranian naval vessels.
The move comes as reports emerged that the United States has been pressing Sri Lanka not to repatriate the rescued sailors to Iran.
“They will be granted one-month gratis visas,” Wijepala told reporters on Sunday.
The decision follows last week’s dramatic escalation in tensions after a United States submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, approximately 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southern port city of Galle.
According to Iranian authorities, 104 crew members were killed in the attack and 32 others were wounded. Sri Lanka’s navy launched a rescue operation and recovered survivors from the sea, while also retrieving dozens of bodies.
Sri Lankan officials said that 22 injured sailors have since been transferred to the Koggala Air Force Base after receiving medical treatment, while ten others remain hospitalised, including eight still receiving emergency care.
The sailors are among those who will be granted temporary visas under Sri Lanka’s humanitarian measures.
US pressure over repatriation
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Reuters reported that an internal United States State Department cable indicated that Washington had urged Colombo not to return either the survivors from the IRIS Dena or the crew of a second Iranian vessel currently in Sri Lankan custody.
The cable, dated Friday, stated that Jayne Howell, the charge d'affaires at the US embassy in Colombo, had emphasised to the Sri Lankan government that neither the crew of the IRIS Bushehr nor the 32 survivors from the Dena should be repatriated.
“Sri Lankan authorities should minimize Iranian attempts to use the detainees for propaganda,” the cable stated.
A spokesperson for the US State Department suggested that Washington was not attempting to dictate Sri Lanka’s actions.
“The United States of course respects and recognizes Sri Lanka’s sovereignty in the handling of this situation. The ultimate disposition of the IRIS Bushehr and its crew, as well as the Iranian sailors rescued at sea, is a decision for Sri Lanka to make pursuant to its domestic law and international legal obligations,” the spokesperson said.
“We are pursuing dialogue with Sri Lanka and our utmost goal is to mitigate the threat that Iran poses to the United States and our partners.”
The cable also added that the Israeli ambassador to India and Sri Lanka enquired as to whether thre was any engagement with the crew to encourage "defection."
Second Iranian vessel sheltered
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In addition to the survivors from the IRIS Dena, Sri Lanka also assisted a second Iranian naval vessel, the IRIS Bushehr.
Sri Lankan authorities evacuated 208 crew members from the ship after it requested assistance while sailing in the region. Both Iranian ships had been returning from the multinational Milan Peace 2026 naval exercises held in India when the incidents occurred.
Sri Lanka has said the sailors from the two vessels must be treated differently under international law.
A senior administration official told AFP the 32 survivors from the IRIS Dena fall under international humanitarian law, meaning they could be repatriated if they choose.
However, the IRIS Bushehr and its crew are subject to the 1907 Hague Convention governing the rights and duties of neutral states during wartime.
“The two groups need to be treated differently under our treaty obligations,” the official said.
Under the Hague Convention, a neutral country receiving troops from a belligerent state is required to intern them until the end of hostilities.
Sri Lanka has reportedly requested assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross in handling the situation.