Three Iranian navy ships that participated in the Indian exercise and returned home, the "Dena" ship was sunk by a US torpedo (Figure 3, Figure 4), while the other two sought help from India and Sri Lanka, and were fortunately taken in.
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar gave his first response on how India considered and handled the Iranian naval vessel (Figure 1, Figure 2: IRIS Lavan, hull number 514) seeking refuge.
Jaishankar said, "We received information from Iran at the time, where one of the ships, which we speculated was the closest to our waters, wanted to enter our Cochin port. They reported they had encountered problems. I remember it was February 28th, and then on March 1st, we agreed that you could come in (it has been moored in the port since March 4th)."
"The ship lost power, and according to what I know, all the crew members, most of whom were young trainees, had already been evacuated and are currently accommodated in nearby Indian Navy facilities. At that time, we assessed the situation of this ship (in fact, there were also two others), because the situation when they set sail was completely different from when the incident occurred. They came for a fleet review, but ended up caught in a whirlpool."
"When this ship encountered difficulties and requested entry into the port, I thought it was natural to take humanitarian action, and that is exactly what we did. As for the other ships, one encountered a similar situation in Sri Lanka, and they made their own decision. The other ship unfortunately did not survive. Therefore, I think we handled this matter from a humanitarian perspective, rather than getting bogged down in legal issues, and I believe we did the right thing."
Some Indians echoed Jaishankar's view, stating that traditionally, India provides assistance during crises, but maintains diplomatic balance. Providing shelter to a warship carrying 183 crew members is more about humanitarian aid and maritime etiquette, rather than geopolitical considerations.
India has energy ties with Iran and has established a strategic partnership with the United States. The incident of the warship seeking refuge quietly reveals the position of India and the Indian Ocean in today's geopolitics.
The Indian Ocean is gradually becoming a place where multiple competing major powers are active simultaneously, and countries located in its central region often need to carefully balance relations with all sides.
Situations like a warship seeking protection are a mixture of diplomacy, military affairs, geography, and naval etiquette in the real world.
Sometimes, power is not only reflected in military strength, but also in being able to become a place where others feel safe enough to seek shelter.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858995836968960/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.