Reuters: US pressing Sri Lanka not to repatriate Iranian crew and survivors from sunken ship, memo says [View all]

The United States is pressing Sri Lanka's government not to repatriate the survivors ​from the Iranian warship it sank this week, as well as the crew of a second Iranian ship ‌that is in Sri Lankan custody, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Friday.
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The internal State Department cable, which was dated March 6 and has not been previously reported, said Jayne Howell, the charge d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Colombo, had emphasized to Sri Lanka's government that neither ​the Booshehr crew nor the 32 Dena survivors should be repatriated to Iran.

It said "Sri Lankan authorities should minimize Iranian attempts to ​use the detainees for propaganda."
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The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Dissanayake's office and Sri Lanka's foreign ministry ‌were not ⁠immediately available for comment.

The cable said Howell also told the Israeli ambassador to India and Sri Lanka there was no plan to repatriate the crew to Iran. The envoy asked Howell whether there was any engagement with the crew to encourage "defection", the cable said.
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https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-pressing-sri-lanka-not-repatriate-iranian-crew-survivors-sunken-ship-memo-2026-03-06/