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External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday explained India’s decision to allow an Iranian naval vessel to dock in Kochi amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, saying the ships had been “caught on the wrong side of events”.

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Jaishankar described how India received a request from Iran regarding one of its naval vessels that had reported technical problems.

"Here's the situation. We got a message from the Iranian side that one of the ships, which presumably was closest to our borders at that point of time, wanted to come into our port. They were reporting that they were having problems. On the 1st March, we said you can come in and it took them a few days to sail in and then they docked in Kochi. There were a lot of young cadets. When the ships had set out and when they came here, the situation was totally different," Jaishankar said.

The external minister noted that the Iranian ships had originally travelled to India to take part in naval engagements before the regional conflict intensified.

"They were coming in for a fleet review, and then they got in a way caught on the wrong side of events," he added.

#WATCH | Raisina Dialogue 2026 | EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "I too support UNCLOS and international law... We got a message from the Iranian side that one of the ships, which presumably was closest to our borders at that point of time, wanted to come into our port. They were… pic.twitter.com/CujBWJkXIL

— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2026

The remarks come amid heightened tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel during the first week of March.