Foreign minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday said the Centre “did the right thing” by allowing an Iranian ship to dock in Kochi port as part of a humanitarian gesture on February 28, days before a US submarine torpedoed another Iranian vessel, IRIS Dena, in the Indian Ocean amid the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
In his first remarks on the sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena — an incident that brought the West Asia conflict closer to India — Jaishankar called for people to “understand the reality of the Indian Ocean” and pointed out the longstanding presence of foreign military facilities in the region.
India has faced mounting criticism for its “silence” over the attack and the way it handled the situation. Opposition parties lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that never before had the Indian government looked so “timid and fearful”.
The Iranian vessel IRIS Dena was torpedoed by a US submarine about 40 nautical miles off Galle in southern Sri Lanka early on Wednesday while returning from an India-organised naval exercise in Visakhapatnam, killing at least 80 people on board.
Two other Iranian naval vessels — IRIS Lavan and IRIS Bushehr — had also been operating in the Indian Ocean and had taken part in the
same event.
Referring to IRIS Lavan, Jaishankar, who was speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, said: “… 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, 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.”
IRIS Lavan was permitted to dock after reporting technical issues, and its crew of 183 is presently accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi.
The minister stressed that the three Iranian naval ships arrived in India to participate in the event before the West Asia conflict began.
“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,” Jaishankar said.
He added that one of the other ships encountered a similar situation near Sri Lanka and was handled by Colombo, while another vessel — IRIS Dena — “unfortunately didn’t make it”.
When asked about the Iranian ship getting torpedoed in a region that India considers its “backyard” and what it means for India’s position as the "net security provider" in the region, Jaishankar initially sidestepped the question, but later said: “Yes, we are a net security provider in the Indian Ocean, but that cannot obviate or overwrite the realities of the region. It is a region where countries other than those of the region are present in a maritime form.”
Lanka reaction
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Vijitha Herath, who also spoke at the Raisina Dialogue, said Colombo will treat 32 Iranian sailors rescued from the torpedoed vessel IRIS Dena according to international law amid reports Washington was pressuring Colombo not to repatriate them.
He said Sri Lanka was caring for the rescued sailors under Colombo’s international treaty obligations.
Iran thanks India
Iran on Saturday expressed gratitude to India for providing a safe harbour to its naval vessel IRIS Lavan.
Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Government of India and the local authorities for their cooperation and humanitarian approach in facilitating the docking of this vessel and supporting its crew. The excellent coordination and cooperation of the Indian authorities in these difficult circumstances clearly reflect the long-standing and friendly relations between our two countries."