President says Iran requested for three Iranian naval ships to visit Sri Lanka

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in Parliament recently that Iran made a request from Sri Lanka on February 26, 2026, for three Iranian naval ships to visit Sri Lanka on 9 and 13 March as part of a goodwill visit aimed at strengthening cooperation. We were in the process of reviewing this request for approval.   

Making a special statement in parliament on March 20, he said on the same evening, the United States also requested permission for two warplanes to land at Mattala International Airport in Sri Lanka and that Sri Lanka declined both requests.   

“We took a clear and firm decision based on our policy of maintaining neutrality. At that time, there were already indications of escalating military tensions,” he said.   

He said some questioned why permission was not granted for the Iranian vessels and added that “had we done so, it would have compromised our overall neutrality,” he said.