• Ten sailors still receiving treatment

Twenty-two of the 32 Iranian sailors rescued following the sinking of the Iranian warship Islamic Republic of Iran Ship IRIS Dena have been transferred to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) base in Koggala after being discharged from Karapitiya Hospital on 7 March. 

The incident occurred as the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was returning home after participating in a multilateral naval exercise hosted by India.

A total of 32 Iranian sailors rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy from the warship were initially admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital. 

It is reported that ten Iranian sailors are still receiving medical treatment.

More than 100 individuals were on board the Iranian Navy vessel when it encountered distress about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle.

At least 87 Iranian sailors were reportedly killed in the attack, marking a significant escalation in tensions between the United States (US) and Iran outside the Persian Gulf. Post-mortem examinations of the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed in the attack were recently conducted at the Karapitiya Hospital.

The US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) has rejected claims that the Iranian warship IRIS Dena was unarmed, stating that the vessel constituted a legitimate military target under the Law of Armed Conflict.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), INDOPACOM described Iran’s claim that the vessel was unarmed as “false”, stating that the Law of Armed Conflict permits the targeting and destruction of valid military targets.

It also stated that “US forces planned for and Sri Lanka provided life-saving support to survivors in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict”.

The statement follows Iran’s strong rejection of the US position, with Iranian authorities maintaining that the warship was “unarmed”.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, who is currently visiting India, said the IRIS Dena was in a non-combat configuration and was returning home after participating in the MILAN multilateral naval exercise hosted by India.

Accordingly, Khatibzadeh described the US action as a “serious violation of international law”.