Did the Iranian Vessel IRIS Bushehr, Rescued by Sri Lanka, have 300 Children on Board?

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While global attention was drawn to Sri Lanka following the incident involving the Iranian vessel IRIS Dena, Sri Lanka also launched another operation to rescue the crew of another Iranian ship, IRIS Bushehr. In this context, a large amount of false and misleading information was widely shared on social media. This fact-check examines one such false claim.

Social Media Posts :

A post circulating on social media stated that Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Ajith P. Perera said Sri Lanka was unable to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iranian ship that had been shipwrecked. Speaking in Parliament, the MP further stated that saving human lives is our responsibility, not assisting a war, and that at this moment a ship carrying around 300 children is located within a maritime area where Sri Lanka could provide assistance. He also emphasized that it is important to take action to save the lives of those on board the second Iranian vessel.

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Moreover, several posts were shared on social media claiming there were 300 children on board the ship.

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We carried out a fact-checking investigation to examine whether the rescued vessel, IRIS Bushehr, actually had 300 children on board.

Fact Check :

Therefore, we first took steps to verify whether MP Ajith P. Perera had in fact made such a statement. It was then confirmed that he had made this statement in Parliament on 05.03.2026. The moment when the MP made this statement was reported by a mainstream media outlet as follows.

The Iranian vessel IRIS Bushehr, which is one of the three Iranian ships that had arrived in India’s Visakhapatnam to participate in the MILAN 2026 naval exercise, had recently entered Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone off Panadura. It was also reported that the crew of the vessel had requested permission from the Sri Lankan government on March 4 and 5 to enter a Sri Lankan port. Following the attack on the IRIS Dena, concerns had arisen regarding the security of the IRIS Bushehr, and in that context Sri Lankan authorities had to make a decision regarding the vessel. Accordingly, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had stated while addressing the media that Sri Lanka would accept the vessel. Mainstream media reported the incident as follows.

Iranian media reported the news stating that the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Bushehr, carrying 208 navy officers, had requested humanitarian assistance from Sri Lanka, and that the vessel had subsequently arrived at the Port of Colombo on March 5. It was reported in this way.

Furthermore, Iranian media reported that out of the 208 navy officers on board, 84 were young cadet officers who were still undergoing training, and that they were safely brought ashore. However, the reports made no mention that there were 300 children on board the vessel.

A video showing the arrival of those on board the IRIS Bushehr at the Port of Colombo was reported by BBC Media, and the footage also does not show that there were 300 children on board the vessel.

Claim that 300 children were on board the vessel is false – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake

At a media briefing regarding the IRIS Bushehr vessel, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was asked by a journalist about the opposition’s claim in Parliament that 300 children were on board. The President stated that this claim was entirely false. A video of the briefing can be found here. During the briefing, the President clarified the details of the people on the vessel: 208 individuals were on board, including 53 officers, 84 cadet officers, 48 senior naval personnel, and 23 other naval staff. He further stated that preparations were being made to bring them safely to Colombo Port, and that, afterwards, the vessel was planned to be moved to Trincomalee Port.

Navy Media Spokesperson

Navy Media Spokesperson, Commander Buddhika Sampath, also confirmed President Anura Kumara’s statement, noting that there were no 300 children on board.

Parliamentarian Ajith P. Perera

On 06.03.2026, during a parliamentary session, the government questioned MP Ajith P. Perera regarding his earlier statement that 300 children were on board the IRIS Bushehr. In response, the MP clarified that by ‘children,’ he was referring to the cadets on the ship. The full statement made by MP Ajith P. Perera regarding this matter is provided below.

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Conclusion : 

Our investigation confirms that the claims about 300 children being on board the second Iranian ship rescued by Sri Lanka, the IRIS Bushehr, are false. All social media posts circulating this information were misleading. President Anura Kumara has confirmed that among the 208 people on board, there were 53 officers, 84 cadet officers, 48 senior naval personnel, and 23 sailors, who were safely brought ashore.