Docking of Iranian warship in Kochi was ‘right thing’ to do: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on Saturday said that the rise of the country will be determined by India and its strength, not by the mistakes of others. He made these remarks at Raisina Dialogue 2026, while speaking alongside with his Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lankan counterparts and the former Foreign Minister of Australia on the theme of ‘Heart of the Seas: Future of the Indian Ocean’. He added that the direction of the country’s rise is very clear and unstoppable. Dr Jaishankar noted that the countries of the Indian Ocean stand to benefit with the growth of India and those countries working with India will get more benefits. Jaishankar said that the decision to dock IRIS Lavana at the Kochi Port was the "humane thing to do", as the other Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was ambushed by the US 40 nautical miles from the coast of Sri Lanka. Jaishankar said that India follows “international law” and did the “right thing” by allowing it to dock. He said that when they came in, the situation was different; they “got caught on the wrong side”.

VIDEO | On US attacking Iranian warship, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) says, "Iranians ships were on fleet review but got on wrong side of events; we allowed Iran ship to enter due to humanitarian concern, we did the right thing."

(Full video… pic.twitter.com/ZRpUHLVQPv

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 7, 2026

Jaishankar also said India’s approach to regional crises takes into account the safety of millions of Indians working abroad and those serving on merchant vessels. “Our approach to the crisis is driven by the fact that we have 9-10 million people living in the Gulf. Their well-being is a factor just as much as that of merchant shipping has to be… Countries have their own interests, their economic or energy concerns, and, naturally, our policies will take all of that into account. I felt the merchant marine part has not got the prominence,” he said.