Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said about 40 Iranian sailors aboard US-sanctioned oil tankers anchored just outside the country's territorial waters received urgent medical treatment on Saturday (October 24, 2026).

According to AP, Sri Lanka answered a distress call and provided medical help to the 40 sailors before repatriating them to Tehran, a spokesperson said on Sunday. “We coordinated the transfer alone as per our humanitarian obligations. The Iranian Embassy bore all the expenses,” the ministry said, according to The Hindu.