Iran Warship Crew Sent Home

India repatriates non-essential sailors from IRIS Lavan amid US-Iran tensions

March 14, 2026: India has repatriated non-essential crew members of the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan, which has been docked at Kochi since early March. The vessel had arrived after developing urgent technical problems and was granted emergency docking approval following a request from Iran. According to officials familiar with the matter, more than 50 of the ship’s 183 crew members remain on board while others have been sent back home as tensions escalate in the region.

The non-essential sailors left India on a Turkish Airlines aircraft that arrived in Kochi late at night. The plane had earlier flown to Colombo to transport the bodies of more than 80 Iranian sailors from another warship that was reportedly sunk by a US submarine off the Sri Lankan coast on March 4. Authorities said the remaining crew members of IRIS Lavan will travel back to Iran via road from Yerevan.

The repatriation comes as India works to ensure the safe movement of over two dozen Indian-flagged merchant vessels positioned near the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently spoke with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts during the West Asia crisis.