India has granted permission for the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan to anchor at Kochi port in Kerala. The decision follows a request from Iran on February 28, citing technical problems aboard the vessel. India approved the request on March 1, allowing the ship to dock, and its 183 crew members are currently stationed in Kochi.

According to reports, IRIS Lavan had arrived in India to participate in the International Fleet Review 2026 in Visakhapatnam, similar to the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which sank on March 4 after a reported torpedo attack from a U.S. submarine in the Indian Ocean. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that Iran had contacted India about the Lavan’s technical issues days before the Dena incident near southern Sri Lanka.

An Indian government source told The Indian Express that India had also invited the IRIS Dena to take refuge in its waters amid escalating conflict conditions in Iran, but Tehran did not respond to that invitation.