New Delhi: India has given shelter to an Iranian naval vessel at the port of Kochi after the warship developed technical problems during regional operations a development that unfolded just days before a separate Iranian frigate was reportedly torpedoed by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean.
According to government sources who spoke to WION, Iran formally approached India on February 28, 2026, seeking permission for IRIS Lavan a Hengam-class landing ship to dock at an Indian port due to technical difficulties the vessel had encountered. New Delhi approved the request on March 1, and IRIS Lavan docked at Kochi on March 4. The ship’s 183 crew members are currently being housed at naval facilities in the city.
Commissioned in January 1985, IRIS Lavan is primarily deployed for amphibious sealift and logistics operations across the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters. The vessel was among three Iranian warships that had sailed to India to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR-2026), held off Visakhapatnam in mid-February. The Iranian contingent also included the Bandar Abbas-class fleet support ship IRIS Bushehr and the Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena. The multilateral naval event, reviewed by President Droupadi Murmu on February 18, brought together maritime forces from dozens of nations among them the United States, Russia, and Iran as a demonstration of international naval cooperation.
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The return journey, however, proved fatal for IRIS Dena. On March 4 the same day IRIS Lavan arrived in Kochi the Moudge-class frigate was reportedly struck by a torpedo fired by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean, south of Sri Lanka. IRIS Dena, commissioned in June 2021 and named after Iran’s Mount Dena, sank following the attack. Reports indicate that close to 100 sailors lost their lives, with bodies subsequently recovered by Sri Lankan forces.
The incident has drawn fierce condemnation from Tehran, which characterised the strike as an “atrocity” and raised broader questions over freedom of navigation in international waters. The third ship in the Iranian group, IRIS Bushehr, separately sought refuge at Trincomalee port in Sri Lanka following the episode.