India allowed Iranian warship to dock at Kochi just days before US sinking of IRIS Dena

Amid criticism of the government over the Iranian warship IRIS Dena being hit by the US, it has emerged that India has given shelter to a separate Iranian warship at Kochi. Government sources said Iran requested India to allow its warship IRIS Lavan to dock at a port in India on February 28. This happened days before the IRIS Dena was hit and sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka on March 4.

Sources said India was approached by Iran to take in the ship IRIS Lavan, which was also in the region for International Fleet Review. This request was received on February 28, seeking a docking at Kochi, Kerala, and stating that it was urgent as the vessel had developed technical issues. India accorded approval for the docking on March 1. IRIS Lavan has since docked at Kochi on March 4. The ship’s crew of 183 are currently accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, sources said.

On March 4, a US submarine sank IRIS Dena, and yesterday, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Sayed Abbas Araghchi, warned that the US would ‘pay bitterly’ for targeting a ship in international waters. Araghchi put out a post on X on Thursday saying “the US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores”.

The Frigate IRIW Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning, said the Iran Foreign Minister, adding “Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”

In a way, the Iran and US-Israel conflict has reached close to India’s coast. The strike was almost 4,000 km away from Iran, significantly expanding the radius of war. Already, fearing Iranian missile strikes, several US warships have moved eastward towards India. These ships are in international waters. India has denied that any US Navy assets were using Indian ports or that any intelligence was being shared.