Jaishankar's first remarks as Iranian warship IRIS Lavan docks in Kochi: 'Caught on wrong side of events'

India said it permitted an Iranian naval vessel IRIS Lavan to dock at one of its ports just days before a frigate from the Persian Gulf nation was sunk by a United States submarine.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said allowing the Iranian ship to dock when it was facing hurdles “was the humane thing to do” at the time. He added that the vessel had been scheduled to arrive for a fleet review but had ended up being “caught on the wrong side of events”

Jaishankar said he supported the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and international law, adding that India had received a message from the Iranian side stating that one of its ships, believed to be closest to India’s maritime borders at the time, was seeking permission to enter an Indian port due to reported technical problems.

He said India approved the request on March 1, after which the vessel took a few days to reach and eventually docked at Kochi. Jaishankar also noted that many young cadets were on board and remarked that the situation had changed significantly between the time the ship set sail and when it arrived in India.

He further said, “They were coming in for a fleet review and then they got in a way caught on the wrong side of events... One obviously had a similar situation in Sri Lanka, they took the decision which they did and one of them unfortunately didn't make it... We approached the situation from the point of view of humanity, other than whatever the legal issues were and I think we did the right thing.”

He mentioned that there was extensive debate on social media about the issue, but stressed that long-standing strategic developments in the Indian Ocean should be taken into account. Jaishankar pointed out that Diego Garcia has been present in the region for around five decades. He also said that the presence of foreign military forces in Djibouti dates back to the early years of this century, while Hambantota Port also emerged during that period.

According to an Indian official, Tehran had approached New Delhi on February 28 seeking urgent permission for the vessel IRIS Lavan to dock, citing technical problems, reported Bloomberg. The request was approved on March 1, and the ship has been stationed at Kochi since Wednesday. The official added that the vessel’s 183 crew members are currently being accommodated at naval facilities in the city.

The docking has taken place at a sensitive moment. Earlier this week, the United States sank the IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka as the vessel was returning after taking part in an international naval exercise hosted by India. The attack reportedly left more than 100 sailors missing or presumed dead.