Iranian ship IRIS Lavan remains at Kochi, giving it shelter was right thing, says S Jaishankar

Iranian ship IRIS Lavan remains docked in Kerala’s Kochi and its crew is at Indian naval facilities, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Jaishankar made the remarks while briefing Parliament about the situation in West Asia amid the conflict there.

He said that Iran had requested India to allow three of its ships to dock at Indian ports and New Delhi granted permission for it on March 1. The IRIS Lavan docked at Kochi on March 4, the foreign minister told Parliament.

“We believe that this was the right thing to do, and the Iranian Foreign Minister [Seyed Abbas Araghchi] has expressed his country’s thanks for this human gesture,” Jaishankar said.

The minister did not say whether the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which was sunk by a United States submarine on March 4 off the Sri Lankan coast, was one of the ships that had been allowed to dock at Indian ports.

A report in The Indian Express on March 7 had claimed that India had offered shelter to IRIS Dena.

The IRIS Dena had left Visakhapatnam after taking part in the International Fleet Review and the MILAN 2026 naval exercise, which concluded on February 25. It was struck by a US torpedo in international waters near Sri Lanka in the early hours of March 4.

At least 87 persons were killed in the attack and 61 were reported missing. The Sri Lankan Navy had rescued 32.

Iran had requested India to allow its ships to dock amid the conflict in West Asia, which began on February 28. The United States and Israel launched a joint operation against the Iranian govenrment.

Tehran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, and targeting major cities in other Gulf countries and some ships.

Israel has been claiming that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance. Tehran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.

Jaishankar made the remarks in Rajya amid protests by Opposition members, who later staged a walkout demanding a discussion on the conflict.

After the minister’s remarks, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the government for making a suo moto statement that did not allow questions or clarifications from MPs.

“The entire Opposition wanted an immediate discussion on the West Asian situation,” Ramesh said. “This was denied and hence the Opposition walkout after protests.”

Also read: India being a ‘net security provider’ does not override realities of Indian Ocean: S Jaishankar

India’s evacuation efforts

Amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs, Jaishankar on Monday also told Parliament that efforts were being made to bring back Indians stranded in West Asian countries.

The foreign minister said that the Indian embassy in Iran had facilitated the relocation of several Indian students in Tehran to places elsewhere.

“Indian nationals in Iran on business were facilitated to cross over to Armenia to return to India,” he added. “Our embassy in Tehran remains fully operational and on high alert.”

Jaishankar said that the conflict is of particular concern to India, and New Delhi has obvious stakes in the stability of the Gulf region.

“There are one crore Indians who live and work in the Gulf nations,” he noted. “In Iran, too, there are a few thousand Indians for study or employment.”

Jaishankar said that the conflict “has continued to intensify, and the security situation in the region has deteriorated significantly”.

He added that India’s national interest, including energy security and trade flows, “will always be paramount” for New Delhi.

India believes that dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate tensions, the minister told the Rajya Sabha.

He made a similar statement in the Lok Sabha.

Also read:

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• Can US, Gulf air defences outlast Iran’s drones and missiles?