Government sources told ANI that a few days before the IRIS Dena incident off the coast of Sri Lanka, Iran had approached India with a request to accommodate the Iranian ship IRIS Lavan, which was also in the area for the International Fleet Review.
Iranian ship IRIS Lavan is docked at Kochi after India heeded to a request from Iran, Govt sources told ANI.
“Days before the IRIS Dena incident south of Sri Lanka, India was approached by Iran to take in the Iranian Ship IRIS Lavan, which was also in the region for the International Fleet Review. This request was received on 28 February 2026, indicating that a docking at Kochi was urgent as the vessel had developed technical issues. Approval was agreed for the docking on 1 March. IRIS Lavan has since docked at Kochi on 4 March. In this context, its crew of 183 are currently accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi,” government sources told ANI.
The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was returning home after taking part in the Milan naval exercise hosted by India when it was struck, resulting in the deaths of at least 87 Iranian sailors. The attack marked a significant escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran outside the Persian Gulf.
The confrontation began when the US carried out military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader.
In retaliation, Iran launched a series of attacks primarily targeting Israel and American military bases across several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
