Indian government sources revealed that India took in the Iranian Navy’s landing ship IRIS Lavan at Kochi.
Iran had requested India, days after IRIS Dena was sunk by the U.S. Navy, to urgently dock IRIS Lavan (514) at Kochi due to technical issues. India granted permission on March 1, and the vessel was docked at Kochi on March 4. Its crew of 183 are currently accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi.
An official announcement by Indian authorities is awaited. The development comes amidst criticism of the Indian government by the political opposition over the sinking of the IRIS Dena. The delay in sharing the information about Lavan was attributed to the unclear status of the other two Iranian vessels in the region: Dena and Bushehr.
Iranian Embassies in Colombo and Delhi requested that both governments allow Iranian ships to dock in their shipyards and remain there. Global Defence Corp requested the Sri Lankan foreign ministry to confirm Iran’s request to allow its warships to dock in Colombo, but has yet to receive a response.
In a statement on March 5, the President of Sri Lanka had revealed that three Iranian ships had sought permission on February 26 to enter Colombo from March 9 to 13. IRIS Dena was sunk south of Galle in Sri Lanka on March 4. CBS News reported that the SSN responsible was USS Minnesota (SSN-783), operating under INDOPACOM. Two Mark 48 torpedoes were fired at the Iranian frigate, with the first one missing its target. On March 5, Sri Lanka granted refuge to the replenishment vessel IRIS Bushehr, which will berth at Trincomalee while 208 of the crew remain in Colombo.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed that three Australian sailors were on board the submarine when it sank Dena. However, he denied that they participated in the attack.
With Dena sunk and both Bushehr and Lavan interned by neutral nations, the Iranian Navy currently has no known large surface ship operating in the open seas. Under Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. has severely blunted Iran’s naval capability, sinking over 20 ships and attacking naval facilities. IRIS Dena was returning after participating in the Indian Navy’s international fleet review and Exercise MILAN 2026 in the Bay of Bengal.
Meanwhile, Indian sail training vessel INS Tarangini arrived in Colombo after its visit to Trincomalee from February 27 to March 2. Tarangini was the Indian Navy’s closest available vessel near the location where Dena sank. During its stay in Sri Lanka, the ship will provide ocean-sailing training and experience to Sri Lankan trainee officers.
IRIS Lavan is a Hengam-class landing ship commissioned in the 1980s. In 2022, Iran released footage showing Lavan launching multiple one-way attack drones during an exercise.
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