Sri Lanka trying to ‘safeguard lives’ on second Iran ship after US attack

The second warship is heading to the same area where a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate, killings dozens of sailors in international waters.Published On 5 Mar 2026Sri Lanka is ‌trying to “safeguard lives” on another Iranian ship off its coast, ⁠its cabinet spokesperson says, after an attack by the United States on an Iranian frigate killed more than 80 people and left dozens missing.“We are doing ⁠our utmost to safeguard lives,” Nalinda ⁠Jayatissa said on Thursday, adding that the second vessel was in the economic zone ‌beyond ⁠the Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Drones strike US base in Iraq, Doha explosions, as Iran hits region in warlist 2 of 4Iranian drones hit airport in Azerbaijan’s exclave as US-Israel war widenslist 3 of 4Where are Iran’s allies? Why Moscow, Beijing are keeping their distancelist 4 of 4Canada PM unable to rule out military involvement in Iran warend of listOn Wednesday, a US submarine sank an Iranian warship with a torpedo in international waters off Sri Lanka. The attack was carried out as the US-Israeli war on Iran spreads across the Middle East and beyond.Jayatissa said the second warship is reported to be carrying more than 100 crew members and is heading to the same area where the US submarine destroyed the Iranian frigate. There are fears the second vessel could be targeted in the same way.“The second Iranian warship to pass near Sri Lanka’s territorial waters since yesterday is believed to be part of a group of three Iranian navy vessels returning from an international maritime event in India,” Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez said, reporting from Colombo, Sri Lanka.“The second ship contacted local authorities in Sri Lanka, indicating it is running into engine trouble and asking to call into port. That is not happening, but there is some communication, from what we’re hearing.”Sri Lanka’s government, meanwhile, “has to walk on eggshells”, Fernandez said.“Even though it has not taken either side in the ongoing war and is far from the centre of operations, the country has almost been drawn into this conflict.”US will ‘bitterly regret precedent it has set’: IranAuthorities in the southern port city of Galle, meanwhile, were making preparations on Thursday to hand over the remains of the 87 Iranian sailors killed in the torpedo attack claimed by the US military.