At the Raisina Dialogue 2026, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded to the US submarine sinking the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena by explaining India's permission for IRIS Lavan to dock in Kochi. He stated the decision was based on humanitarian grounds and that India supports UNCLOS and international law. Jaishankar emphasized understanding the geopolitical realities of the Indian Ocean.
During the Raisina Dialogue on 7 March 2026 in New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar addressed the recent incidents involving Iranian naval vessels for the first time. He clarified that on 28 February, Iran requested emergency docking for IRIS Lavan in Kochi due to technical issues, which was approved on 1 March. The ship was returning after participating in the International Fleet Review and MILAN 2026 naval exercise in Visakhapatnam from 15 to 25 February. It arrived in Kochi on 4 March, where its 183 crew members, including several young cadets, are staying at naval facilities.
Jaishankar stated, 'We got a message from the Iranian side that one of the ships, which presumably was closest to our borders at that point of time, wanted to come into our port. They were reporting that they were having problems.' He added that the situation was different when the ship arrived and they got caught on the wrong side of events. 'We really approached it from the point of view of humanity... And I think we did the right thing.'
On the same day, 4 March, a US submarine torpedoed IRIS Dena in international waters, causing it to sink. The incident occurred about 40 nautical miles south of Sri Lanka near Galle. Sri Lankan authorities recovered 87 bodies, rescued 32 people, with dozens still missing. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the attack, noting it was the first time since World War II that the US sank an enemy ship with a torpedo. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh claimed Dena was 'unarmed and unloaded' at the time.
The Indian Navy assisted in search and rescue operations after receiving a distress call at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Colombo. Jaishankar referenced the complexities of the Indian Ocean, pointing out that Diego Garcia has been present for five decades, foreign bases in Djibouti emerged in the early 2000s, and Hambantota developed during this period. He expressed concerns for the safety of Indian merchant mariners and the 9-10 million Indians living in the Gulf.
