Colombo refused ground access to US planesAFP, COLOMBOSri Lanka refused permission to the US to station two of its warplanes at a civilian airport in the island’s south early this month, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday. Sri Lanka was drawn into the consequences of the war when US forces torpedoed an Iranian frigate off its coast this month. “We were still considering the Iranian request to bring the three ships to Colombo from March 9 to 13. The US torpedoed one of the Iranian ships, IRIS Dena, just off the island’s southern coast on March 4, killing at least 84 sailors. Sri Lanka maintains close ties with both the US, its main export market, and Iran, the main buyer of Sri Lankan tea.

Source: Taipei Times March 20, 2026 18:02 UTC