Amidst the ongoing war in the Middle East, Sri Lanka has given a big blow to Donald Trump by not allowing American fighter planes to land on its land. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumar Dissanayake told Parliament that the government had in early March refused to allow two US fighter jets to land at Mattala International Airport in the country’s south-east.

We will not bow down: Sri Lanka bluntly tells US

Dissanayake said that two warplanes from the US military base in Djibouti had sought permission to visit Sri Lanka on March 4 and 8, but both requests were rejected. He said, ‘We want to maintain our neutrality despite various pressures. We will not bow down. The war in West Asia is creating challenges, but we will make every effort to remain neutral.

Fighter jet was equipped with anti-ship missile

The President said, ‘The Americans wanted to bring two fighter jets equipped with eight anti-ship missiles from the base in Djibouti to Mattala International Airport and we refused.’

Dissanayake’s statement came a day after his meeting with US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gore. According to the statement, the two leaders discussed efforts to secure vital sea lanes, secure ports, strengthen mutually beneficial trade relations, and advance a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

US targets Iranian ship near Sri Lanka

On March 4, 2026, the US targeted Iran’s ‘IRIS DENA’ ship near Galle, the southern coastal city of Sri Lanka, in which 84 sailors died, while 32 were saved. The ship was returning home after participating in the naval fleet review held in Visakhapatnam, India.

Two days later, another Iranian ship ‘IRIS Bushehr’ with 219 sailors wanted permission to enter Colombo port. Sri Lanka asked it to head towards the eastern port of Trincomalee after anchoring off the Colombo coast. The ship’s 204 sailors are currently stationed at the naval establishment near Colombo.