New Delhi: India allowed the majority of the crew of Iranian warship IRIS Lavan to leave the country by a chartered Aircraft organised by Tehran.
The aircraft landed in Kochi in Kerala late on Friday and left with over 100 Iranian naval personnel deployed on the IRIS Lavan. Only a skeleton crew of about 50 remain on board the ship that is docked at Kochi.
The same aircraft had landed in Sri Lanka earlier in the day to pick up the bodies of the 84 sailors killed after a US submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena.
The IRIS Lavan had a complement of 183 sailors and more than 120 of them have left, sources revealed. Some Iranian tourists stranded in India due to the West Asia conflict also left in the same aircraft.
The IRIS Lavan has been docked in Kochi since March 4.
The aircraft did not fly to Iran directly, but landed in Armenia. The naval personnel and Iranian tourists, along with the bodies were then transported to Tehran by road.
By allowing the IRIS Lavan to remain docked at Kochi, India has made it clear that it has been accorded ‘asylum’ in the country.
At the same time, the repatriation of the sailors and tourists has sent out a strong message to Iran that India wants to maintain friendly ties with that country while working towards de-escalation.
Iran has already taken a first step to display its good relations with India. On Friday, the country’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, confirmed safe passage for Indian vessels.
“Because we believe that Iran and India are friends,” he told reporters.
“We have common interests and a common fate. I, as the ambassador for Iran in India, I say to you that the government of India .. after the war, will help us in different fields.”
Since then, Indian vessels have been moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Two LPG carriers have already exited the Strait and are now on their way to ports in India.
This comes as a shot in the arm for India’s diplomatic efforts since the crisis began. External affairs minister S Jaishankar had been in touch with his Iranian counterpart on at least four occasions, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also spoken to the country’s president.
