The attack: March 4In the early hours of March 4, Sri Lanka’s Navy received a distress signal. The IRIS Dena had been struck approximately 19 nautical miles from the Port of Galle — outside Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, but within its Exclusive Economic Zone. The Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force launched a major rescue operation, recovering 32 survivors and 84 bodies, all of whom were brought ashore. The cable also indicated that Sri Lanka should minimise any attempts by Iran to use the detained sailors for propaganda purposes. Rahuman also alleged that Iran’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dr. Alireza Delkhosh, had confirmed that the Sri Lanka Navy Commander had personally requested the vessels to visit Sri Lanka, which was the original impetus for the deployment.

Source: Sunday Times March 07, 2026 19:17 UTC