However, there has been yet to be official confirmation from the Southern Naval Command regarding the development.
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According to sources cited by the news outlet, the Iranian personnel boarded an aircraft that arrived in Kochi from Colombo. The plane reportedly left the airport late Friday night, though the final destination of the flight was not disclosed. The warship itself remains stationed at Kochi with the rest of its crew on board.
The vessel had come to the region to participate in the International Fleet Review, with around 183 sailors staying at naval facilities in Kochi.
TOI reported that Iran had earlier approached India requesting safe harbour for IRIS Lavan days before another Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, was sunk on March 4.
The request for docking was made on February 28 – the same day the United States and Israel launched their offensive named “Epic Fury”. Iranian authorities said the vessel urgently required port access due to unspecified technical problems.India approved the request on March 1, and the ship arrived in Kochi on March 4.
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According to TOI, New Delhi’s decision to allow the vessel to dock may have prevented it from meeting the same fate as IRIS Dena, which was torpedoed by a US submarine in international waters south of Sri Lanka.
What happened to IRIS Dena
The Iranian naval frigate IRIS Dena was sunk on March 4 after being struck by a torpedo fired by a US submarine in international waters south of Sri Lanka. The strike took place while the Iranian warship was operating in international waters in the Indian Ocean region.
The attack destroyed the vessel and led to heavy casualties among its crew. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the strike, making it one of the deadliest incidents involving Iranian naval personnel in recent years.
Following the sinking, search and recovery efforts were carried out, even by Indian authorities, in the surrounding waters, with several bodies later retrieved from the sea.
The incident drew strong reactions from Tehran, which condemned the attack and blamed the United States for targeting the vessel. The sinking also raised concerns about the growing military tensions in waters around South Asia and the broader Indian Ocean region.
