Jaishankar says Iranian ship struck by US ‘caught on wrong side of events’

EAM Dr S Jaishankar

• India let Iranian vessel dock at Kochi for humanitarian reasons
• Jaishankar said ship faced difficulties in Indian Ocean
• India acted despite US sanctions, citing broader geopolitics

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External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday defended India’s decision to allow an Iranian vessel struck by the United States to dock at Kochi, saying the ship had “got caught on the wrong side of events.”

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi, Jaishankar said India acted on humanitarian grounds after receiving a message from the Iranian side that the vessel was facing difficulties in the Indian Ocean.

“I too support UNCLOS and international law,” Jaishankar said. “We got a message from the Iranian side that one of the ships, which presumably was closest to our borders at that point in time, wanted to come into our port. They were reporting that they were having problems.”

He said India permitted the vessel to enter its waters on March 1, and it took some days for it to dock at Kochi.

“On the 1st March, we said you can come in, and it took them a few days to sail in, and then they docked in Kochi,” he said, adding that many young naval cadets were on board the vessel.

Jaishankar noted that the ship had originally set out for a fleet review, but circumstances changed dramatically as tensions escalated in the region.

“When the ships had set out, and when they came here, the situation was totally different,” he said. “They were coming in for a fleet review, and then they got in a way caught on the wrong side of events.”

The minister also referred to a related situation in Sri Lanka, where authorities took a different decision regarding another vessel. “One obviously had a similar situation in Sri Lanka, they took the decision which they did, and one of them unfortunately didn’t make it,” he said.

Jaishankar stressed that India approached the issue primarily from a humanitarian perspective despite ongoing legal and geopolitical debates.

“We approached the situation from the point of view of humanity, other than whatever the legal issues were, and I think we did the right thing,” he said.

Addressing the intense online debate around the incident, Jaishankar urged observers to recognise the broader geopolitical realities of the Indian Ocean region.

“There are a lot of social media debates going on over this,” he said. “Please understand the reality of the Indian Ocean.”

He pointed out that foreign military presences in the region have existed for decades, citing the long-standing US base on Diego Garcia as well as the growing strategic importance of ports such as Djibouti and Hambantota.