Why Iranian naval vessel 'IRIS Lavan' docked in India on the day of US attack on 'IRIS Dena'

As the war between Iran and US-Israel forces reaches the seventh day, a fresh twist has appeared in the Wednesday attack on the IRIS Dena, an Iranian warship, off the coast of Sri Lanka.

According to government sources, another Iranian naval vessel, the IRIS Lavan, had allegedly requested permission to dock in Kochi on February 28 after developing serious technical faults.

The report added that it received approval on March 1 under humanitarian grounds, after which it finally docked on March 4. Its 183-member crew was housed at the Indian Navy's quarters.

The sources noted that just like the IRIS Dena, the IRIS Lavan had also been a guest for the Indian Navy's International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026, organised at Visakhapatnam back in February this year.

Notably, the Western Naval Command had also welcomed a flotilla comprising the IRIS Lavan and the IRIS Boushehr to Mumbai for a "goodwill and training visit" from February 25-28.

"The flotilla, carrying about 220 officer cadets, is on a training mission in the Indian Ocean," it added in an X post.

In retrospect, while the IRIS Lavan allegedly managed to escape being attacked by the US as it had docked at Kochi, the IRIS Dena was not so lucky.

The latter, a Moudge-class frigate, had been returning to Iran after taking part in the IFR 2026 when it was torpedoed by a US submarine, leading to the deaths of at least 87 sailors.

Hours later, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth soon clarified Washington's role in the strike, declaring that it had been destroyed as a part of Operation Epic Fury, which is the country's name for coordinated joint strikes with Israel on Iran.

The Pentagon also released visuals of the strike on the Iranian frigate, that drew sharp reactions from Iran, which has called it a "war crime". 

"IRIS Dena was a training ship. It was invited by the Indian Navy to take part in an exercise. They went there as guests. They were unarmed," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the attack.

The Indian Navy, which had deployed the INS Tarangini—that had been operating nearby—to aid Sri Lanka in attending to the Iranian frigate's distress call, has rejected claims that it played a role in helping the US by providing intel. It has also said that the INS Ikshak had sailed from Kochi to assist search and rescue operations as well.