Iranian warship docked in Kochi

Amid the government’s criticism over the sinking of Iranian warship IRIS Dena by the US, it now emerges that India has allowed shelter to another Iranian frigate in Kochi.

Sources in the government said Iran had requested India to allow its warship IRIS Lavan to dock at one of its ports on February 28. This happened days before IRIS Dena was hit by a US torpedo and sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka on March 4.

The sources said India was approached by Iran to take in IRIS Lavan, which was also in the region for the International Fleet Review. In its message on February 28, Iran sought urgent docking, saying the warship had developed technical issues. India accorded its approval on March 1.

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IRIS Lavan has been docked in Kochi since March 4. The ship’s 183 crew members had been accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, the sources said.

On March 4, a US submarine sunk IRIS Dena. Iranian Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday warned that the US would “pay bitterly for targeting a ship in international waters”. “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," Araghchi said on X.

IRIS Dena, a guest of the Indian Navy and carrying nearly 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without a warning, said the minister. The US strike was almost 4,000 km away from Iran, significantly expanding the radius of war.

Fearing Iranian missile strikes, several US warships, which are in international waters, have moved eastwards towards India. India has denied that any US navy assets were using Indian ports or any intelligence was being shared.