Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said Iran had sought permission for three of its ships to dock at Indian ports on 28 February - the day the US and Israel began a war on Iran - and permission was granted by India on 1 March. The ships' movements between 1 and 4 March are not clear and nor is why only one of them made it to India. The sinking of the Iris Dena, with 130 sailors on board, in international waters off Sri Lanka's southern coast on 4 March marked a dramatic widening of the war - and raised questions about India's authority in its backyard.

It was the first military strike outside the Middle East since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. President Donald Trump has said destroying Iran's navy is one aim of the assault. The three Iranian ships - Iris Dena, Iris Bushehr and Iris Lavan - had all participated in a military exercise hosted by India between 15 and 25 February in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam. They left Indian waters on 25 February and were likely to have been in international waters on 28 February - when the US and Israel began attacking Iran. "The Iranian side had requested permission on 28 February for three ships in the region to dock at our ports. This was accorded on 1 March," Jaishankar told parliament on Monday. "Iris Lavan actually docked on 4 March in Kochi. The crew is currently in Indian naval facilities. We believe that this was the right thing to do." (BBC)