Sri Lanka refuses landing request for US warplanes, president says

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka declined permission for two United States combat aircraft to land at a civilian airport earlier this month, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

Addressing lawmakers, the president said Washington had sought approval for two warplanes to land at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport between March 4 and 8.

“They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti,” he said, adding that the request was rejected to maintain Sri Lanka’s neutrality.

The decision drew applause from members of parliament.

According to the president, the US made the request on February 26 — the same day Iran sought permission for three of its naval ships to make a goodwill visit to Sri Lanka from March 9 to 13, following participation in an Indian naval exercise. That request was also turned down.

The developments come amid heightened regional tensions after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering a wider conflict that has disrupted energy supplies and unsettled global markets.

“We were considering this request. Had we said ‘yes’ to Iran, we would have had to say ‘yes’ to the US as well,” Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka’s navy has also been involved in rescue operations linked to the conflict. On March 4, it rescued 32 crew members from the Iranian vessel *IRIS Dena* after it was reportedly torpedoed by a US submarine in an attack that killed at least 84 people.

Another Iranian ship, *IRIS Booshehr*, was assisted by the Sri Lankan navy after it developed technical issues just outside the country’s territorial waters.

Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor is currently visiting Sri Lanka and met President Dissanayake on Thursday.

Sri Lanka, still recovering from a severe financial crisis that peaked in 2022 due to a shortage of foreign exchange reserves, is now facing fresh economic pressure from supply disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict.

The United States remains Sri Lanka’s largest export market, while Iran is a key buyer of its tea exports.