New Delhi, March 7 External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar explained on Saturday India's decision to allow an Iranian naval vessel to dock in Kochi amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, saying the ships had been "caught in the wrong circumstances".
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, EAM Jaishankar described how India had received a request from Iran regarding one of its naval ships, the IRIS Lavan, which had reported technical problems while operating in the region.
The IRIS Lavan, which had participated in the International Fleet Review last month, had sailed towards Kochi after developing technical issues.
According to the government, India had been approached by Iran several days before the incident involving the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena south of Sri Lanka. The vessel had been present in the region as part of Iran's naval deployment for the International Fleet Review and the MILAN 2026 exercise, which took place between February 15 and February 25.
India approved the docking request on March 1 after the Iranian side reported technical difficulties. The vessel subsequently sailed to Kochi and docked there, with its 183 crew members currently staying at naval facilities in the city.
The EAM said India had adopted a humane approach when Iran sought assistance for the IRIS Lavan.
“We received a message from the Iranian side that one of the ships, which presumably was closest to our borders at that time, wanted to come into our port. They were reporting that they were having problems. This happened on February 28. On March 1, we said you can come in, and it took them a few days to arrive, and then they docked in Kochi. There were a lot of young cadets. They have disembarked at a nearby facility. So we look at these ships, because there were two others as well; when they set out and came here, the situation was totally different. They were coming in for a fleet review, and then they got caught in a difficult situation,” EAM Jaishankar said.
“So for us, when this ship wanted to come in, and that too in difficulties, I think it was the humane thing to do. And I think we were guided by that principle,” he added.
The Iranian ships had originally travelled to India to participate in naval engagements before the regional situation deteriorated. The vessels IRIS Dena, IRIS Lavan and IRIS Bushehr had taken part in the International Fleet Review and the MILAN 2026 naval exercises hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam earlier in February.
Speaking about the fate of IRIS Dena, EAM Jaishankar said, “In the case of the other ships, one obviously had a similar situation in Sri Lanka, and they took the decision which they did, and one unfortunately didn't make it. We really approached it from the point of view of humanity, other than whatever the legal issues were. I think we did the right thing.”
On March 4, the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was struck by a torpedo fired from a United States submarine while sailing in international waters around 40 nautical miles off the southern coast of Galle in Sri Lanka.
According to Sri Lankan authorities, 87 bodies were recovered from the sea, while 32 sailors were rescued alive after the vessel sank while returning from the naval exercise in Visakhapatnam. The incident was later confirmed by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Addressing the public debate surrounding the episode, EAM Jaishankar also commented on discussions circulating on social media regarding the strategic dynamics of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
“There are a lot of debates going on on social media. Social media, by its very nature, is a forum for very sharp, angular, sometimes extreme expressions of views. I mean, people have a right to express that. But there is… I mean, please understand the reality of the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia has been in the Indian Ocean for the last five decades. It's not something which happened last week or last month. The fact that there are foreign forces based in Djibouti happened in the early first decade of this century. Hambantota came up during this period,” he said.
