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India has granted permission for an Iranian warship to dock at its port as a humanitarian gesture, according to Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Saturday. This move comes in the aftermath of the U.S. sinking another Iranian navy vessel near Sri Lanka.
The Iranian ship IRIS Lavan arrived at Kochi, a southern port in India, on Wednesday—the same day a U.S. submarine attacked the Iranian frigate Dena. Indian sources told Reuters that this was in response to an urgent request from Tehran.
U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that one objective of the recent conflict with Iran, which Israel also joined, is to dismantle the Iranian navy. The Lavan, described as an amphibious landing vessel by the U.S. Naval Institute’s online platform, along with two other ships, was en route for a fleet review when they were unexpectedly caught in the midst of ongoing events, according to Jaishankar during the Raisina Dialogue.
He emphasized that India’s decision was driven by humanitarian considerations rather than legal issues, asserting, “I believe we did the right thing.” The U.S. attack resulted in at least 87 fatalities, with the incident occurring 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s coast, outside its maritime boundaries.
India received the request to allow the Lavan to dock on February 28, coinciding with the start of Iran’s military operation. The request was classified as urgent due to technical issues suffered by the vessel. The ship’s 183 crew members have been accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, according to an anonymous government source.
The Dena was reportedly returning from a naval exercise organized by India, according to the exercise’s official webpage and Sri Lankan officials. Recently, Sri Lankan authorities revealed they are escorting the Iranian ship Booshehr to the eastern coast and relocating most of its crew to a navy camp near Colombo.
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