By Admin 
India has allowed an Iranian warship to anchor off the southern port of Kochi following Tehran’s appeal and the ship’s 183-member crew has been accommodated in naval facilities. Government officials said on Friday that this incident occurred two days after a US submarine targeted and sank an Iranian frigate with a torpedo off the coast of Sri Lanka.
The IRIS Lavan warship had arrived in the region last month to participate in the International Fleet Review organized by India. It arrived in Kochi on Wednesday, the same day the frigate Iris Dena sank about 19 nautical miles off the Sri Lankan coast, killing 87 sailors.
Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday allowed another Iranian warship, Iris Bushehr, to seek refuge in the country and accommodated its 208-member crew in a naval base. Iris Bushehr also participated in India’s International Fleet Review and sought permission to enter the Sri Lankan port after suffering engine failure.
India gave asylum to IRIS Lavan
An official said Iris Lavan, who was in the area for the International Fleet Review, was approached by Iran on February 28 for asylum in India. He further said, ‘Permission to enter the port was granted on March 1 and Iris Lavan reached Kochi on March 4.’ Officials said that in the request from the Iranian side, it was said that it was necessary to land the ship in Kochi as the IRIS Lavan had encountered technical problems. He said that 183 crew members of the warship have been accommodated in naval facilities located in Kochi.
The sinking of the IRIS Dena has heightened concerns in India, Sri Lanka and other Indian Ocean countries about the growing scope of the Iran-US conflict and its impact on maritime trade in regional waters. People familiar with the matter have described the Indian government’s handling of the crisis as practical and in line with long-term national interests.
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