Reacting publicly for the first time after a U.S. submarine torpedoed and sank Iran’s warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, killing around 87 sailors, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India’s choice to let another Iranian vessel, IRIS Lavan, dock at Kochi was driven by “humanity” as the ship reported technical trouble near Indian waters and was carrying many naval cadets. He framed the Iranian ships as having been “caught on the wrong side of events” after coming for India’s fleet review, and defended India’s response as the right thing to do while also reminding critics that foreign military presences like Diego Garcia and Djibouti have long been part of the Indian Ocean’s strategic reality.