Iran conflict 2026: Iranian landing ship docks within naval zone at Kochi

The Iranian ship IRIS Lavan seen here docked at a port in Kochi, India, on 7 March 2026. (Sivaram Venkitasubramanian/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Latest satellite imagery of the port area at Kochi confirms that the Iranian naval landing ship IRIS Lavan is docked within a controlled zone typically utilised by Indian naval vessels.

The vessel is positioned alongside a reinforced concrete pier, surrounded by restricted‑access internal roads and bordered by fencing.

The placement of the ship matches reporting that India had granted the vessel entry on humanitarian grounds after it developed technical problems while operating in the region for the International Fleet Review and Exercise ‘MILAN 2026'.

According to details provided by India's Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at an event in New Delhi on 7 March, India received the request for port entry from the Iranian Navy on 28 February.

This request was subsequently approved on 1 March, after which the ship sailed into Kochi and docked.

No details were provided on what these technical problems might be, but Jaishankar noted in his address that the vessel was carrying cadets.

“They were coming in for a fleet review, and then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of events. So, for us, when this ship wanted to come in, and that too in difficulties, I think it was the humane thing to do,” he said.

Lavan's docking occurred during a period of regional tension, and amid the sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena by a US Navy submarine off Sri Lanka on 4 March.

For more, please see:

Iran conflict 2026: Indian Navy conducts SAR operation in wake of torpedoed Iranian frigate