India gave safe harbour to another Iranian ship days before IRIS Dena was sunk by US | India News
New Delhi: India allowed another Iranian vessel to dock in Kochi after Tehran sought emergency assistance due to technical problems, days before a US attack sank the Iranian ship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka, official sources said. According to sources, Iran requested permission from India on February 28 to allow the vessel IRIS Lavan to enter Kochi port after reporting technical problems while operating in the region.The ship was part of a contingent that traveled to the region for an international fleet review, sources said.
Urgent docking request
Official sources said Iran’s request called for the ship to make an emergency docking at Kochi to resolve technical issues.On March 1, Indian authorities gave approval for the docking.The ship later arrived and docked at Kochi on March 4, according to sources
Crew accommodation is provided at naval facilities
Meanwhile, the ship’s 183 crew members are being accommodated at the Indian Naval facility in Kochi, sources said.“A few days before the IRIS Dena incident south of Sri Lanka, India approached Iran to take the Iranian ship IRIS Lavan, which was also in the region for an international fleet review,” official sources said.“This request was received on 28 February 2026, indicating that a docking at Kochi was necessary as the ship developed technical problems. Approval for docking was granted on 1 March. IRIS Lavan docked at Kochi on 4 March. In this context, its 183 crew currently at Kochi were added to the facilities.”The IRIS Dena sank on Wednesday as the war sparked by a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran spills over into the Middle East and beyond. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the attack and warned Washington that it would “bitterly regret” setting such a precedent. The US committed atrocities at sea 2,000 miles off Iran’s coast. The Indian Navy’s guest frigate Dena, carrying around 130 sailors, was rammed into international waters without warning,” he posted on X. “Mark my words: The United States will bitterly regret the precedent it has set,” Araghchi added.Sri Lanka evacuated 208 crew members of an Iranian navy ship on Thursday, a day after a US submarine hit and sank an Iranian frigate.
