India approved the docking of an Iranian naval vessel at Kochi on humanitarian grounds after it reported technical difficulties at sea, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Saturday while addressing the Raisina Dialogue in the national capital. The minister said the decision was taken after a request from Iran, whose ship had encountered problems while operating in the region amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

According to Jaishankar, Iran informed Indian authorities on February 28 that one of its naval ships, IRIS Lavan, was facing technical issues and sought permission to enter an Indian port. India granted the request on March 1, and the vessel subsequently sailed to Kochi in the southern state of Kerala. The ship later docked at the port, and its 183 crew members, including several young cadets, were accommodated at nearby naval facilities.

The Iranian vessel had earlier visited India to participate in the International Fleet Review and the MILAN 2026 naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam between February 15 and February 25. Jaishankar noted that when the ships initially set out for the engagement, the regional security situation was significantly different from what later unfolded.

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Explaining the government’s approach, the External Affairs Minister said India viewed the request through a humanitarian lens. “When this ship wanted to come in, and that too in difficulties, I think it was the humane thing to do,” he said, adding that the vessels had effectively been “caught on the wrong side of events” after the regional situation deteriorated.

The minister also referred to the fate of another Iranian vessel, the frigate IRIS Dena, which sank earlier this week after being struck by a torpedo allegedly fired from a United States submarine in international waters near the southern coast of Galle in Sri Lanka. According to Sri Lankan authorities, 87 bodies were recovered while 32 sailors were rescued after the incident.

Jaishankar also addressed online debates surrounding the episode and the broader strategic dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region. He noted that the presence of foreign military facilities in the region, including at Diego Garcia and bases in Djibouti as well as infrastructure developments such as the port at Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, had evolved over decades and should be understood in their broader geopolitical context.

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