India offered refuge to Iranian warship before US torpedo attack near Sri Lanka

India had offered safe harbor to the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena shortly before the warship was sunk in a torpedo strike by a US submarine off Sri Lanka earlier this week, sources were quoted as saying underscoring New Delhi’s cautious balancing act amid rapidly escalating tensions in West Asia.

The Dena, which had earlier visited Visakhapatnam to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR) and the MILAN-2026 multilateral naval exercise that concluded on February 25, had departed the Indian coast when the attack took place.

According to the Indian Navy, the frigate was operating about 20 nautical miles west of Galle when it was torpedoed in the early hours of March 4.

Sources quoted by The Indian Express said that India had conveyed an offer of safe harbor at an Indian port to the vessel as hostilities between Iran and the United States intensified following the first wave of US-Israel air strikes on Iran on February 28. The gesture was understood to be a precautionary step amid rising risks to naval movements in the region.

Meanwhile, a second Iranian naval vessel, IRIS Lavan, quietly docked at Kochi on March 4 — the same day the Dena was struck.

Government sources said Iran had approached India on February 28 seeking permission for the Lavan to enter an Indian port after the ship developed technical problems during its deployment. New Delhi approved the request on March 1, and the vessel arrived in Kochi three days later.

The warship’s 183 crew members have since been accommodated in Indian naval facilities in Kochi, officials said.

By March 6 evening, government sources confirmed that the Lavan had been berthed at Kochi port since March 4.

The developments come amid heightened maritime activity in the region following the sinking of the Dena. Sri Lanka said on March 5 that it had also allowed another Iranian warship, IRIS Bushehr, to dock at one of its ports.

Earlier, the Sri Lankan Navy launched a search and rescue operation after the Dena issued a distress call around 5.30 am local time. Authorities said 32 personnel were rescued, while 87 bodies were brought to hospitals in Galle by military rescuers. Around 60 of the estimated 180 sailors on board remain unaccounted for.

The Indian Navy also joined the rescue effort, deploying a P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft and the vessel INS Tarangini to assist in the search operation after the distress signal was received.

Another naval ship, INS Ikshak, sailed from Kochi to strengthen the rescue mission and remained in the area to search for missing personnel. An additional aircraft equipped with air-droppable life rafts was kept on standby for immediate deployment as part of the ongoing efforts.