Sri Lanka refused ground access to U.S. warplanes

Sri Lanka refused support for the United States to presumption 2 of its warplanes astatine an airdrome successful the island’s southbound successful aboriginal March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament connected Friday (March 20, 2026).

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“They wanted to bring 2 warplanes equipped with 8 anti-ship missiles from a basal successful Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said ‘no’,” Mr. Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains adjacent ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran, which is simply a cardinal purchaser of tea, its main export commodity.