New Delhi: Iran on Saturday expressed gratitude to India for providing a safe harbor to its naval vessel ‘IRIS Lavan’. Amid the rapid escalation of the conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States and Israel, another Iranian ship, the IRIS Dena, docked at the Cochin port for technical and logistical arrangements following an incident in the Indian Ocean.ALSO READ | Before Dena, India docked another Iranian ship with 183 crew members in KochiA U.S. Navy submarine fired a torpedo at IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka early Wednesday morning, sinking the frigate. Of the estimated 180 crew members, about 87 died and about 32 survivors were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy.
“Following the tragic incident on IRIS Dena, the Islamic Republic of Iran is continuing to track the condition of the crew and study all aspects of the incident,” Mohammad Fathali, Iran’s ambassador to India, told news agency ANI.“In this context, another Iranian naval ship ‘IRIS Lavan’ has docked at the Cochin port for technical and logistical arrangements. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Indian government and local authorities for their cooperative and humanitarian approach in facilitating the docking of the ship and supporting its crew,” he added.
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ALSO READ | ‘It will be a great regret’: Iran warns US after ‘guest of Indian Navy’ IRIS Dena sunk by torpedoThe envoy emphasized the coordination between the two countries and noted that the assistance provided by the Indian authorities during the situation reflected the long-standing friendly relations between the two countries.He further expressed confidence that the historic and constructive relations between Tehran and New Delhi will continue to strengthen in the future.According to government officials, IRIS Lavan participated in the 2026 International Fleet Review and was present in the region as part of Iran’s naval deployment to participate in the multinational naval exercise Milan 2026 in Visakhapatnam from February 15 to 25.ALSO READ | ‘Wants access to our ports’: EAM Jaishankar on India’s rescue of Iranian shipsThey added that Tehran had approached New Delhi days before the sinking of the IRIS Dena to request emergency docking support due to technical issues. The request, received on February 28, stated that it needed to proceed to Kochi as the ship was facing mechanical issues. The approval was granted on March 1 and IRIS Lavan subsequently docked on Wednesday.Its crew is reported to total 183 and is currently housed at a naval facility in the Kerala city.On February 28, the United States and Israel jointly launched a military strike, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures. Subsequently, tensions in West Asia continued to escalate. Tehran has responded with a wave of drone and missile attacks against multiple Arab countries, targeting U.S. military bases and assets as well as Israel.
