"India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Saturday defended New Delhi’s decision to allow an Iranian naval vessel to dock at the southern port of Kochi, saying the move was guided by humanitarian concerns as the Middle East conflict continues. “I think it was the humane thing to do,” Jaishankar said during the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, explaining that India received a request from Iran after one of its ships reported technical problems while sailing near Indian waters. "Here's the situation. You had these ships, and we got a message from the Iranian side that one of the ships… wanted to come into our port," he said. "They were reporting that they were having problems." The Iranian vessel, IRIS Lavan, carrying around 180 crew members, sent a request on February 28 seeking urgent permission to berth. Jaishankar said India allowed the vessel to enter its port on March 1, after considering the circumstances facing the crew. The vessel, which was reportedly in the region for multinational exercises and the International Fleet Review, later docked in Kochi, where many of its crew - including young naval cadets - disembarked and were accommodated at nearby facilities. The incident comes amid escalating hostilities after the US and Israel started an operation against Iran on February 28, which has since expanded beyond the Middle East. Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk by a US submarine near Sri Lanka earlier this week, killing more than 80 sailors, while other Iranian vessels sought refuge at regional ports. The Iranian ships had originally been sailing in the region for naval events hosted by India before the conflict intensified, leaving some vessels effectively caught in the rapidly changing situation at sea. India has so far avoided taking sides in the widening conflict and has repeatedly called for restraint and de-escalation as tensions in the region continue to rise."