The Iranian warship IRIS Lavan is docked in Kochi, with its 183 crew members currently accommodated at naval facilities in the city. The ship had requested the Indian government on February 28 for permission to dock due to a technical failure, which was granted on March 1. Following the approval, the vessel has been docked in Kochi since March 4.
The docking follows the recent sinking of an Iranian vessel by a US submarine about 44 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka. The warship, IRIS Dena, was returning after participating in a multilateral naval exercise hosted by India in Visakhapatnam.
US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship
On the morning of March 4, the IRIS Dena was torpedoed and sunk by a US attack resulting in the deaths of 87 crew members. The Sri Lankan navy responded to distress calls, rescuing 32 survivors, while many remain missing. The Iranian ship had travelled to India in February to participate in an international fleet review, a naval exercise that saw participation from 74 countries around the world. The ship was returning home when the incident occurred. Another Iranian warship, Bushehr, carrying 208 crew members, was also evacuated by the Sri Lankan navy.
Official Statements from US and Iran
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has officially confirmed the strike on Wednesday, stating, ‘An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters.’ He declared that it was the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned the attack, calling it a serious violation. He warned, ‘Mark my words, the US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.’
India’s response
India has yet to respond or issue a formal statement regarding the incident, which occurred so close to the country and in the Indian Ocean, a region of great strategic and diplomatic importance to India. Although the navy has claimed that allegations of Indian assistance in the sinking of the ship are baseless, this incident has raised questions about regional security and the limitations of India’s influence over its maritime neighbourhood. These concerns are especially relevant considering that just months earlier in October 2025, Modi had referred to the Indian Navy as the ‘guardian of the Indian Ocean’. In a recent development, India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, while speaking at the 2026 Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, emphasized that India approached the situation from a ‘point of view of humanity’. He also addressed rising criticisms, stating that ‘Please understand the reality of the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia has been there for the last five decades.‘
Diego Garcia is a joint UK–US military base located in the central Indian Ocean, established in the 1970s and strategically positioned between Asia and Africa, within flying distance of the Middle East.
