Kochi: Nearly 100 crew members of the Iranian naval ship “IRIS Lavan” docked at the Kochi port have left India through the Kochi airport, according to people familiar with the matter. However, the Southern Naval Command has not officially confirmed the news. Sources said the Iranian crew left the Cochin airport on a plane that took off from Colombo. The plane left the Kochi airport late on Friday. The source did not disclose the destination of the plane. The warship and its remaining crew are still in Kochi.The ship was conducting an international fleet review in the area. The naval facility here houses nearly 183 sailors. On March 4, a US submarine sank the IRIS Dena in southern Sri Lanka, just days after Iran contacted India about providing a safe harbor for the ship.Iran received Iran’s request for the IRIS Lavan on February 28, the day the United States and Israel launched an “epic fury” offensive. Iran said the docking in Cochin was urgent due to “technical” problems with the ship.Approved on March 1st. IRIS Lavan docked in Kochi on March 4.New Delhi’s decision may have helped the Iris Rawan avoid the fate of the Iris Dena, which was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine in international waters. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack.
