During the Raisina Dialogue 2026, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke in detail on international law, the situation in the Indian Ocean and the recent decision to allow an Iranian ship to enter India. He said that India kept in mind the legal aspects as well as humanity in this matter. Jaishankar told that India had received a message from Iran that one of their ships, which was close to India’s maritime border at that time, was facing some problem and wanted to come to the Indian port.
He said that on March 1, India allowed that ship to enter. The ship took a few days to reach India and later stopped at Kochi port.
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said that many young cadets were also present in that ship. The situation was normal when the ship set out on its mission, but on the way the situation changed completely. According to Jaishankar, the ship was going to participate in a fleet review, but due to sudden change in circumstances, it got stuck in a difficult situation. The Foreign Minister said that a similar situation had also come to light in Sri Lanka, where the government there had taken its decision and in that case a ship could not reach safely. He said that India looked at the entire matter from the perspective of humanity and took the decision on that basis. According to him, what India did was the right step.
Jaishankar mentioned international maritime law
Jaishankar also mentioned international maritime law in his speech and said that he supports the United Nations Convention Law of the Sea i.e. UNCLOS and international law. He also gave a statement on the ongoing debate on social media and said that people should understand the real situation of the Indian Ocean. He told that Diego Garcia has been a military base present in the Indian Ocean for the last five decades. Apart from this, the presence of foreign military forces in Djibouti also started in the first decade of this century. Jaishankar also said that Hambantota port was also developed during this period. According to him, the presence and activities of many countries in the Indian Ocean region have been going on for a long time, hence the right approach is needed to understand the situation in this region.
