S. on the sinking of the Iranian warship. Jaishankar’s big statement, said the ships were stuck at the wrong turn of the situation

News India Live, Digital Desk: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has given an important response. At the ‘Raisina Dialogue’ held in New Delhi, he said that the situation was different when these ships came to India, but during their return, they got caught on the “wrong side of events”. Why was the Iranian ship given space in Kochi? Jaishankar clarified that the Iranian Navy ship IRIS Lavan was in trouble due to a technical fault. On March 1, when Iran sought help, India allowed it to dock at Kochi Port on humanitarian grounds. According to the Foreign Minister, “There were many young cadets on board the ship. It was a humanitarian decision to help them in difficult times and we followed the same principle.” The sinking of IRIS Dena is ‘unfortunate’. Let us tell you that IRIS Dena is the same warship which took part in the ‘Milan 2026’ naval exercise held in Visakhapatnam, India last month. It was sunk by American submarine attack near Sri Lanka during return. Describing this incident as unfortunate, Jaishankar said that India had also helped in its search and rescue. It is important to understand the reality of the Indian Ocean. Responding to the ongoing debate on social media, the Foreign Minister said that people should understand the strategic complexity of the Indian Ocean. Referring to foreign military bases like Diego Garcia and Djibouti, he said that for India, the safety of its citizens and merchant navy personnel is of paramount importance. A large number of Indians serve in merchant ships around the world, and any maritime attack has a direct impact on them. India’s policy: Humanity versus legal quandary Jaishankar stressed that even though international law and UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) are important, India gave priority to ‘humanity’ in times of crisis. “When a ship in distress asks for help, we go beyond legal niceties and take a humanitarian approach. We did what was right,” he said.