Permission for Iranian ships to dock in India

Iran sought permission for the three warships, which were in regional waters, to dock in India on February 28, the day that Israel and the US launched their attacks on Iran, and the permission was given the next day, March 1.

The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine near the coast of Sri Lanka early on March 4, resulting in the death of almost 90 crew members. Another 32 crew members were rescued by Sri Lankan authorities.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar provided details about the episode while making a statement on the escalating tensions in West Asia in both houses of Parliament. He added that the Indian government’s decision to permit one of the three Iranian warships, IRIS Lavan, to dock at Kochi was “the right thing to do”.