March 7, 2026
An Iranian warship identified by officials as IRIS Lavan has been docked in the southern Indian port city of Kochi since earlier this week, India’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar confirmed at the Raisina Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi.
Jaishankar said the vessel requested to enter Indian waters on March 1 because of technical difficulties and was allowed to dock on humanitarian grounds. He described the ship’s company as largely young cadets who disembarked and are staying at a nearby facility.
The IRIS Lavan and other Iranian vessels had been participating in an international exercise hosted by the Indian Navy and were due to take part in a fleet review before hostilities involving Iran began. Jaishankar said the ships “got caught, in a way, on the wrong side of events,” and India’s decision to allow the troubled vessel in was the humane option.
The confirmation comes after a US submarine torpedoed the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean on March 4 amid the conflict, killing at least 87 people. Within 24 hours another Iranian vessel, IRIS Bushehr, sought assistance from Sri Lanka, which brought more than 200 sailors ashore.
Speaking at the geopolitics conference, Jaishankar also cautioned that incidents in the Indian Ocean have wider regional implications, noting the ocean is not limited to Indian jurisdiction.
