Iranian sailors, previously detained during a conflict with the USA, have been transferred to the consulate in Pakistan and are now returning home, a move that could signal a de-escalation of tensions.

Sri Lanka has repatriated 238 Iranian sailors, including survivors from the IRIS Dena, which remains anchored in Trincomalee port with its future undecided.

The process of repatriating the bodies of Iranian sailors is currently underway.

Court orders handover of bodies of 84 Iranian sailors to embassy  Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

IRIS Dena attack: Iranian sailors died due to multiple injuries, drowning  Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has announced its intention to treat Iranian sailors in accordance with international law, following an unspecified incident involving Iranian sailors.

A day after rescuing Iranian sailors from the wreckage of a warship sunk by a U.S. submarine, Sri Lanka’s neutrality is being tested.

Sri Lanka reportedly sent ships and aircraft to rescue 30 Iranian sailors aboard the Iranian frigate - Iris Dena - after a distress call.

Another group of 22 Iranian sailors, who were aboard a vessel intercepted by US forces, has arrived in Pakistan. Foreign Minister Dar announced their arrival, following previous repatriations.

Over 250 Iranian sailors, including survivors of a torpedoed ship, are being held in protective custody by Sri Lanka, which is uncertain about their fate despite Iran's demands for their return.

They were sent on a chartered Turkish airliner, which departed on Friday (March 13, 2026), reporters present at the Mattala international airport in the southern district of Hambantota said

A section of the crew is understood to have stayed back on the vessel

A Sri Lankan court has ordered the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors, killed in an attack on an Iranian warship off the island's coast last week, to be handed over to the Iranian embassy.

Sri Lanka has granted one-month free visas to Iranian sailors who were rescued, providing them temporary relief.

Sri Lanka has stated its intention to treat Iranian sailors in accordance with international law, following an unspecified incident involving Iranian vessels or personnel.

An Iranian warship, the IRIS Dena, was sunk in the Indian Ocean by a US submarine torpedo, resulting in at least 85 Iranian sailors killed. The Pentagon confirmed the strike as part of its campaign against Iran, with 32 sailors rescued and 148 still missing. Sri Lankan authorities recovered 87 bodies as search operations continue.

State media has confirmed that Iranian sailors have successfully returned to their home country following an evacuation operation that brought them to Pakistan.

The bodies of 84 Iranian sailors, recovered from the sea off Sri Lanka after their frigate was torpedoed by a US submarine last week, are being repatriated today.

Sri Lanka court orders 84 Iranian sailors’s bodies be handed to Iran embassy, local media says  Arab News

Warship, IRIS Dena, was hit by torpedo from US submarine while it was returning from naval exercise organised by India

INDOPACOM rejects Iran’s claim that sunken warship IRIS Dena was unarmed Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

Operation to rescue Iranian sailors...  Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

The Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka by a US submarine, confirmed by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 32 Iranian sailors were rescued, while at least 87 were killed, marking the first such incident since WWII.