An Iranian naval vessel, Islamic Republic of Iran ship (IRIS) Lavan, docked at Kochiport on March 4 after developing technical problems, with India granting permission for the ship to enter its waters a few days earlier. The development comes amid heightened tensions in the region following the sinking of another Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, by a US submarine near Sri Lanka. The incident has triggered rescue operations, diplomatic communications involving Sri Lanka and the United States and raised fresh concerns about security dynamics in the Indian Ocean region.
IRIS Lavan was docked at Kochi after it developed technical problems. Iran had asked for permission on February 28 to allow the ship to enter the port and India approved the request on March 1. Around 183 Iranian sailors from the vessel are currently being accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, news agency ANI reported citing Indian government sources.
Meanwhile, the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which had participated in the International Fleet Review organised by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam last month, was later sunk by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean south of Sri Lanka on March 4. IRIS Dena was among Iran’s newest naval warships. It was a Moudge-class frigate designed for long-range operations and was equipped with heavy guns, missiles and torpedoes.
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The Sri Lanka Navy escorted another Iranian vessel, IRIS Booshehr, to Sri Lankan waters. More than 200 Iranian sailors on board the ship reportedly disembarked in Sri Lanka, according to media reports.
US asks Sri Lanka not to repatriate Iranian sailors
Meanwhile, after the US sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, Washington has reportedly asked Sri Lanka not to send the rescued sailors back to Iran. According to a Reuters report citing an internal US State Department cable, the US government also asked Sri Lanka not to repatriate the crew members of another Iranian ship, IRIS Booshehr, which is currently in Sri Lankan custody.
Sri Lankan authorities launched a rescue operation soon after and recovered at least 87 bodies. Thirty-two people were rescued alive, the report mentioned.
The incident has further escalated tensions between Iran and the US and has also raised concerns in South Asia.
Sri Lanka evacuates crew from IRIS Booshehr
A day later, Sri Lankan authorities responded to a distress call from another Iranian vessel, the naval auxiliary ship IRIS Booshehr, which had become stranded in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone but outside its maritime boundary. Sri Lanka evacuated 208 crew members from the ship. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the country had a “humanitarian responsibility” to help the crew.
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Citing the internal State Department communication, Reuters also reported that Jayne Howell, the charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Colombo, told the Sri Lankan government that neither the Booshehr crew nor the 32 survivors from IRIS Dena should be sent back to Iran.
India offered safe harbour
Sri Lanka’s navy said it received a distress signal from the Iranian warship at 5:08 am on March 4. The vessel had around 180 people on board.
Before the Iranian frigate was sunk near Sri Lanka, India had reportedly offered it safe harbour at one of its ports. The offer was made as tensions between the US and Iran were rising, according to a report by The Indian Express |
