Days before US torpedo strike on IRIS Dena, Iran requested India to dock damaged warship, IRIS Lavan, at Kochi

India has granted refuge to an Iranian warship, IRIS Lavan, which docked at Kochi amid heightened regional tensions following the sinking of another Iranian vessel, IRIS Dena, in the Indian Ocean. Government sources told WION that days before the IRIS Dena incident south of Sri Lanka, Iran approached India seeking permission for IRIS Lavan to dock at an Indian port. The vessel had reportedly developed technical issues while operating in the region for the International Fleet Review (IFR-2026).

The request was received on February 28, 2026, suggesting that docking at Kochi was urgent due to the ship’s technical problems. Approval was granted on March 1, and IRIS Lavan subsequently docked at Kochi on March 4. Its crew of 183 personnel are currently being accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi. IRIS Lavan, a Hengam-class landing ship commissioned in January 1985, is primarily used for amphibious sealift and logistics operations in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters.

The vessel was part of a group of three Iranian ships that travelled to India to participate in IFR-2026 off Visakhapatnam in mid-February. The contingent included the Bandar Abbas-class fleet support ship IRIS Bushehr and the Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena. The international naval event, reviewed by President Droupadi Murmu on February 18, brought together ships from dozens of countries, including the United States, Russia and Iran, as part of a display of maritime cooperation.

However, the return voyage turned tragic for IRIS Dena. On March 4, the same day IRIS Lavan docked in Kochi, the Moudge-class frigate, commissioned in June 2021 and named after Mount Dena, was reportedly torpedoed by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean south of Sri Lanka. Reports indicate that nearly 100 sailors were killed in the attack, with bodies recovered by Sri Lankan forces. The incident has drawn sharp condemnation from Tehran, which described it as an “atrocity,” and has raised concerns over freedom of navigation in international waters. Meanwhile, IRIS Bushehr, the third vessel in the Iranian group, sought refuge at Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee port.