India permitted the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Lavan to dock in Kochi after it reported technical issues while carrying naval cadets, a move External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar framed as a humanitarian decision amid the ongoing Iran–Israel–US confrontation.
IRIS Lavan, with around 183 personnel on board, including a large number of cadets, developed technical problems while at sea.Iran urgently requested permission for the ship to enter an Indian port; New Delhi cleared the request on 1 March, and the vessel berthed at Kochi on 4 March.
Jaishankar’s rationale
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, Jaishankar said India acted out of humanity, noting that the ship “was having problems” and was carrying “a lot of young cadets.”
He said the vessel had originally sailed for a fleet review but was “caught on the wrong side of events” as the regional situation deteriorated, and that allowing docking “was the right thing to do.”
The approval for IRIS Lavan came just days before another Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, associated with the same fleet review, was sunk by a US submarine off Sri Lanka.By presenting the move as assistance to a distressed ship rather than a political signal, India aimed to uphold seafarer safety and its naval commitments while maintaining a balanced position in the West Asia crisis.
