Jaishankar explains why India let Iran warship dock in Kochi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar affirms India's self-determined and 'unstoppable' rise, emphasising the nation's strategic growth and role in the Indian Ocean region amid evolving global dynamics.

Days after a United States submarine sank an Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka's coast, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has underlined India's position on the events in the Indian Ocean.

Jaishankar described the sinking of IRIS Dena as unfortunate and said India took the humane approach when the Iranians send out a request for another Iranian frigate, IRIS Lavan.

Jaishankar lay out sequence of event 

Speaking at the 2026 Raisinia Dialogue in New Delhi, Jaishankar outlined the sequence of events involving the Iranian ships.

"You had these ships, and we got a message from the Iranian side that one of the ships, which presumably was closest to us -- to our waters at that point of time, wanted to come into our port. They were reporting that they were having problems. And so, my recollection is this was on the 28th, and on the 1st, we said, "Okay, you can come in." And it took them a few days to sail in, and then they docked in Kochi. And the ship is there. And obviously, the people on the ship, a lot of them were young cadets -- that is my understanding. They have disembarked; they are, you know, in a nearby facility," Jaishankar said.

"When they set out and came here, the situation was totally different. They were coming in for a fleet review, and then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of events. So for us, when this ship wanted to come in, and that too in difficulties, I think it was the humane thing to do. And I think we were guided by that principle. And in a sense, of the other ships, one obviously had a similar situation in Sri Lanka, and they took the decision which they did, and one unfortunately didn't make it. So I think where really approached it from the point of view of, in a sense, of humanity, of other than, you know, whatever the legal issues were. And I think we did the right thing," the minister added.

Jaishankar explains the 'realities of Indian Ocean'

Jaishankar also highlighted India's growing role in the Indian Ocean as a net security provider but at the same time noted that it doesn't override the realities of the region.

In that context, he mentioned the military bases of Diego Garcia, Djibouti and Hambantota.

"There are a lot of social media debates going on over this.... Please understand the reality of the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia has been in the Indian Ocean for the last five decades. The fact that there are foreign forces based in Djibouti happened in the early first decade of this century. Hambantota came up during this period," the Minister said.

Jaishankar further highlighted that India has invested in the development of the region and with India's growth countries in the region stand to benefit.

"Indian Ocean Region is an ecosystem. Indian Ocean, much more than other parts of the world, is in the process of recovery and rebuilding. Individual states are doing that, but the whole region as a whole, restoration of trade patterns, connectivity...This whole rebuilding process of the Indian Ocean needs to be recognised... A lot of this requires hard work. In the last decade, Indian diplomacy has invested a lot in this process," he said.

The comments come in the context of three Iranian naval vessels that found themselves at the centre of the escalating war between Iran, the United States, and Israel in the first week of March.

India allows Iranian warship to dock in Kochi

The ships -- IRIS Dena, IRIS Lavan, and IRIS Bushehr -- had been operating in the Indian Ocean and had participated in the International Fleet Review and MILAN 2026 exercises hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam earlier in February.

The Indian Navy approved the request to dock the ship, IRIS Lavan, days before the US torpedoed and sank Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, killing 80 people on board.

IRIS Lavan docked at Kochi on March 4. The vessel remains in Kochi with its 183 crew members currently being accommodated at Indian naval facilities on humanitarian grounds.

Jaishankar also emphasised the need to follow the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

While analysing the situation in the Indian Ocean region as well as the India growth story, Jaishankar said, "Those who work with us obviously will get more benefits; I'm not saying there are no challenges to India's rise, there are."

"But the direction of India's rise is very clear. In a way, it's unstoppable," he said.